Rats caught in glue traps at NTU canteen: Rodent situation there 'deteriorating by the day'

Is there a rodent infestation in the school canteen?

Stomper Jannalee shared two videos of rats caught in glue traps at Canteen 9 of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in March.

One video showed at least five rodents stuck on a single trap with two still struggling to break free.

Writing to the authorities on March 26, the Stomper said: "I would like to bring to your attention the ill housekeeping practices at NTU Canteen 9, which is infested by large rats feasting on leftover scraps on unkept kitchen table tops in the hall.

"There have already been prior food poisoning incidences at other canteens in the university and I hope you will look into the present situation at Canteen 9."

She told Stomp that the rodent situation at Canteen 9 was "deteriorating by the day".

In response to a Stomp query, an NTU spokesperson said: "The university takes food hygiene and safety very seriously. Canteen operators are required to clean the premises daily, and pest control checks are conducted every month.

"Following the rat sighting, we have reminded the canteen operators and are working with them to increase the frequency of pest control checks and preventive measures."

In October 2023, the licence of a canteen stall at an NTU residential hall was suspended after it failed to keep its premises free of a cockroach infestation. Foodelica was fined $800 for neglecting to prevent the infestation and failing to register an assistant.

A month later, an online petition was created to ban the use of rat poison at NTU after the death of a campus cat was suspected to have been caused by the consumption of rat poison.