That Is Not Ratatouille in Mission Bay Park

Can you imagine this? You, your sweetheart and your dog, taking a nice stroll along the jetty at sunset, enjoying this beautiful place we call San Diego. And then all of a sudden, you come across a scurrying blanket of black/gray accompanied by a very odd sound, almost like gnawing. The blanket is moving across the ground, almost wave-like. You can't really tell if it's a single organism or thousands of something else. Your skin begins to crawl, your dog's hackles raise like you've never seen it before, your sweetheart's palm goes cold and clammy. An excerpt out of a Stephen King novel you ask? Ney. It's the rat infestation at Mission Bay Park! Exaggeration? I don't think so.

Wow, how did I miss this story the first go around? My subconscious must have made my eyes gaze over this byline. You see, I hate rats. Hate them, hate them, hate them. Mice are right up there with rats. So just reading that there's a rat infestation at MBP makes my skin crawl. Well, not that I frequent MBP much, or ever. Closest I've been is to Fiesta (stinko) Island for a dog walk. But yes, my friends, there's a rat infestation at MBP. The rats would come out around sunset to forage on the trash in the picnic areas and along the shoreline rocks frequented by fishermen.

Exterminators contracted by the city Park and Recreation Department have been using rat poison in infested areas as part of the eradication plan, as well as clean-up maintenance. Good news is, the eradication seems to be working. But shall I ask the question that's begging to be asked? Where are all those dead rats? Perhaps they are in those little "rat condos' in the riprap, decaying among all those rat droppings. Ew, can you imagine the smell? And even if all the rats were gone, could you have a family picnic at MBP knowing that there was a Stephen King type infestation there? And speaking of rat droppings, what about all that in the picnic areas? I don't know about you but I think I'll keep my picnics to my backyard.