Some new residents have taken up home at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport — and by “residents” I mean “rodents” — dozens and dozens of rodents.
The Associated Press reports that a WGN-TV investigation (video here) that aired Monday night uncovered an infestation of mice and rats throughout O’Hare’s Terminal One — even among food service and preparation areas, specifically mentioning areas within Concourse C (terminal map here).
Oklahoma resident Cynthia Vleugel, along with several other travelers, were trapped at O’Hare during a March snowstorm when they noticed a disturbing distraction keeping their children entertained — they were feeding mice.
Vleugel said that she saw “dozens and dozens and dozens” of mice during her hours at the terminal.
The city Department of Aviation, who might want to spend some time fixing up its website after tackling the rodent problem at O’Hare, is responsible for maintaining the concourse walkways; concession management companies are supposed to handle pest control around their operating stations and the boarding areas in the terminal are supposed to be maintained by the individual airlines. Both, mice and rats were found at all three spots.
Karen Pride, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Department of Aviation:
The agency maintains “an aggressive pest control program” at the airport and works with airlines and vendors to mitigate pests.
In that description of the pest control program, “aggressive” is clearly a relative term. So, in the meantime until the situation can be resolved, I would recommend watching your step (and your bags) while in the terminal and, by all means, eat somewhere else!
Have you ever encountered a pest problem while traveling? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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