Man caught scalding rats to death in Chinatown: Shop owner claims he's left with little choice

The boss of a man caught on video pouring hot water over several caged rats in Chinatown has claimed that doing so was a last resort after exhausting all other methods to exterminate the rodents.

A video of the incident was taken on Sept 1 by a passerby who pointed out the act of animal cruelty, reported Shin Min Daily News on Saturday (Sept 7). 

The owner of HengBros SG durian stall, identified only by his surname, Xie, revealed that the man captured in the video is his assistant, and that they had taken such extreme measures due to the persistent rodent infestation in the area. 

Xie shared that he had been operating his stall at Block 531 Upper Cross Street for the past three years, during which the issue had remained resolved. Hundreds of rats had been caught in the past year alone, he told Shin Min.

He added that the old infrastructure in the area as well as the nearby wet market and hawker centre all contributed to challenges in curbing the problem.

"I have complained many times before, and the Town Council would send people over. But each time they were here, they couldn't find any rats, so I had to prepare my own cages to trap them," he said, adding that he did it to maintain hygiene standards at his stall.

Xie shared that he had tried other methods to exterminate the rats, including using glue traps and mouse traps, but these methods came with their own sets of problems.

"Glue traps would also trap small birds and other animals, and if we didn't clear the carcasses quickly enough, they would decompose and emanate a foul smell. I have also tried mouse traps, but it ended up trapping small birds instead and that would also be considered inhumane," he explained.

He claimed that he had done nothing wrong as he felt there was no better way to resolve the problem. He also told Shin Min that he plans to continue with his method of exterminating the rats in the future.

Business owners in Chinatown also revealed to the Chinese daily that the rat infestation in the area appeared to have worsened this year.

A Chinese medicine shop owner, surnamed Lim, shared that although rats wouldn't come into his shop as it is brightly lit and there are staff members around, they are frequently seen running outside his shop.

The 68-year-old said that as the issue had gotten worse in the past year, he uses a tarp to cover up some gaps around his shop.

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Another shop owner surnamed Lee, 44, agreed that rat sightings are common in the area and gets worse at night. According to Shin Min, three rats were spotted within the 15 minutes that reporters were there.

In response to queries from Shin Min, a spokesperson from Jalan Besar Town Council stated that it will be working with other government agencies to manage the infestation, and that the pest control company engaged by the Town Council will also conduct a comprehensive inspection and treatment of the area every month. 

The Town Council has also shared their pest control practices with the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) on Sept 4.

The spokesperson added that there was also no sign of rat burrows at the block or nearby, but the Town Council will continue to monitor the situation. The durian stall owner has also been contacted, said the spokesperson.

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AsiaOne has reached out to Acres for comment.

yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com