Rats infest Oregon state health building

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Despite Oregon' budget challenges, dozens of new residents have settled comfortably into a state office building in Salem.

But these new residents aren't dedicated public servants — they're a public nuisance. A breeding colony of rats has infested the Barbara Roberts Human Services Building, which houses workers for health and social services agencies.

So far, the critters are winning this battle.

"To date, 36 rats have been caught, all of which are second and third generation," the email said. "We have been unable to capture rodents of breeding age."

The note says the rodents tend to come out overnight, but a few have been seen during the day. Workers are being asked to help eradicate the rodents by removing all plants, taking food out of the building overnight and emptying open water containers at the end of each day. About 1,300 people work in the 20-year-old building.

By cutting off easy access to food and water, officials hope they can drive the rodents to seek out food inside traps.

"Together, we need to step up our efforts so rats no longer find a welcoming home" in the building, two officials wrote in an email Aug. 16 to employees at the Department of Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority.

The rat infestation was first reported in The Oregonian on Tuesday.

Officials say the mice are living in a crawl space beneath the floor, where computer cables run. Nobody's sure why they chose to take up residence in this particular building, but none of the neighboring state offices have a similar problem, said Randy Gangler, operations manager for the Department of Administrative Services, the state agency that owns the buildings and serves was a landlord.

"We're doing our best to get rid of them," Gangler said. "We have our professional contractor engaged in that, and we feel that right now getting rid of all the food and water is our best bet. We're trying to avoid using poison. That's our absolute last resort if this doesn't work."