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A rat problem that has long affected various residential areas of the Belgian capital has recently spread to the city's historic and touristic center, Grand-Place.
According to local media, sightings of rats on the streets and near businesses in Brussels—particularly in the Grand-Place and its surrounding pedestrian area—have drawn a reaction from local shopkeepers.
Rats have become more visible in the pedestrian zone on Boulevard Anspach and its surrounding streets at night and in the early morning, despite efforts to control their population.
In recent days, footage of a rat in the window display of a chocolate shop on Grand-Place caused a stir on social media. Passers-by captured the rodent scurrying along the display window, appearing visibly distressed as it searched for a way out.
A few meters away on Boulevard Anspach, the manager of a busy fried chicken restaurant, who asked not to be named, told The Brussels Times that rats and mice have become part of the scenery in the city center.
He linked part of the problem to major construction works that transformed the central boulevards into a pedestrian zone, saying the works disturbed rats living underground and pushed them toward the surface.
The City of Brussels' councilor for Public Cleaning, Anas Ben Abdelmoumen, did not entirely dismiss that account, though his cabinet said the issue below the pedestrian zone represents only part of the problem, with the rest linked to conditions above ground.
Meanwhile, 1,073 rats have been caught in 137 operations carried out since February.
With restaurants, fast-food chains and terraces lining much of the pedestrian zone, food and leftovers are rarely far away. Whole pieces of bread, pizza and other food scraps are sometimes left in public spaces, which eventually attracts rodents.
"If rats don't find food, we are there to eradicate them," Andreas De Kerpel, spokesperson for Ben Abdelmoumen, told The Brussels Times.
People feeding pigeons are another source of the problem, as the food can provide an easy meal for rats. Feeding animals in public spaces is prohibited in the capital and can result in a €200 ($232) fine.
Once rubbish reaches the street, keeping food away from rodents becomes a collective problem. Brussels Cleanliness spokesperson Adel Lassouli told The Brussels Times that its teams regularly encounter poorly closed or insufficiently protected bags, which can spill food onto the pavement. Commercial waste, collected in pink bags, follows a different system from household rubbish, as restaurants choose their own private waste collector.
Measures were stepped up over the summer, with 15 smart rat traps placed in the city center's pedestrian zone. The municipality formed a special task force in May to tackle the problem, while the budget allocated to the issue was raised from €35,000 to €100,000.
Brussels Mayor Philippe Close announced at the Sept. 7 city council meeting that combating the rat problem was among the municipality's priorities.
The municipality is also offering free pest control services to businesses, restaurants and cafes, and is asking business owners and residents not to leave food or waste on the streets.
Opposition parties, however, argue that the measures are insufficient. Lotte Stoops of the Green Party (Ecolo-Groen) said the measures taken by the municipality have fallen short, noting that shopkeepers are uncomfortable with the situation and that some Brussels residents and tourists are avoiding the area in the evening and at night.
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