One S.F. neighborhood’s severe rat problem may have a single culprit: ‘Birdseed Lady’
It started with piles of bird seed, small mountains that would arrive on the asphalt at San Francisco’s Glen Park BART station and on nearby city sidewalks. Next, neighbors said, came swarms of rats and pigeons drawn to the steady supply of food.
For years, Glen Park’s rat problem was confined mostly to neighborhood murmurings and exasperated threads on Nextdoor. But the issue exploded into public view this month, when health inspectors temporarily shuttered Canyon Market, Glen Park’s posh and popular grocery store, after finding gnawed pasta bags, rat droppings and other evidence of a severe rodent infestation.
The neighborhood’s pest problem has become a public health hazard and caused thousands of dollars in property damage. And according to more than a dozen interviews with residents, business owners and city officials, it may have a single culprit.
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