Question: “There have been articles from time to time in the Enquirer about a rat problem in the city of Cincinnati. If these rodents are running around our trash cans at night, why are there not more of them displayed as road kill? I have seen dead dogs, cats, rabbits, squirrels, possums and raccoons frequently beside the roads, but very seldom, if ever, have I seen a dead rat. Whatever their sense of preservation is, can it be used by humans? Maybe this would help our accident statistics.”

        Answer: Rodent roadkill is out there, says Tom Hooper, a sanitarian with the Cincinnati Board of Health. You just have to hang out in the right places to see it. Best spots: untidy garbage bins behind untidy restaurants.

        “This is really a good question,” Mr. Hooper says. “Rats are usually not seen because of their fear of humans . . . They have a keen sense of hearing,” so they usually know about us long before we know about them.

        They stay close to food sources and disdain the Cut in the Hill about as much as a 9-to-5 commuter.

        “Rats are not prone to be in the open, such as roads. They prefer to run next to walls or other stationary objects . . . Unless there is an over-population of rats, you will not see them, even when they are alive.”

        As for adopting rodent behavior to avoid pedestrian accidents, maybe we should just stick with stopping, looking and listening.

        If you have a stupid question, send it to Ask a Stupid Question, Cincinnati Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati OH 45202; fax: 768-8330; e-mail mpulfer@enquirer.com.
       

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