During my visit to JDP earlier this week the number of rats and mice I saw was huge! Since visiting JDP and 8 other zoos in NL they are all experiencing rats and mice in numbers they have never experienced before. Apparently there is literally a shortage of traps and that the professional extermination companies are at a loss to understand why now and more importantly what will it be like when spring comes???? PS it has always annoyed me when looking at aviary or primate enclosure and rodents can be seen occasionally however now they cannot be missed and seem to be loosing their fear of people... ( this is not an episode of Zoo
Rats & Mice reach their highest densities around this time of the year and normally many die off during winter... The past 2 winters have been extremely mild though, so a very large number could survive....
Hmmm, what? I assume your other abbreviation NL is Netherlands. I've visited most zoos in that country and many of them multiple times. Somehow the above abbreviation still leaves me clueless?
See my thread(somewhere) 'Rats in Zoos'. Generally I think the number of rats and/or mice visible during a zoo visit is indicative of the levels of husbandry and pest control of that particular establishment, though of course they will always be present to a degree in all zoos because of the food and suitability of surroundings. But they are certainly far more visible at some places than others- enough to arouse comment sometimes. I know Jardin de Plantes is very old with some big old houses- not good pest control operations, or a haven for rodents perhaps? Or maybe there are just rodent plagues this year everywhere...
It's fine, although I don't think the abbreviation is widely used. I would have guessed it if I had the correct context (France) instead of the Netherlands as a thought.
