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Chautauqua County health officials looking to eliminate Sherman rat problem

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SHERMAN, N.Y. (WKBW) — Rats are a big problem at one abandoned mill in the Southern Tier. The Chautauqua County Public Health Department wants to prevent the rodents from spreading to nearby homes. The mill they’re looking at is the former Farmers Mill in the Village of Sherman.

“We could very quickly have a public health threat on our hands if action is taking immediately to abate,” said Christine Schuyler, the Public Health Director of Chautauqua County.

The Chautauqua County Board of Health held a special meeting on Monday. They're working to take care of this problem. The County Public Health Director says because of leftover grain, the rats are multiplying at an unsustainable rate.

“Our estimate is that there are hundreds of rates in this facility, breeding every 7-8 weeks with 10 to 15 babies at each cycle. We know the mill has already been abandoned for five months. So, right there, there is at least two complete breeding cycles. It doesn't take a genius to do the math to see how those numbers are going to very quickly expand,” added Schuyler.

The former owners of the mill have until November 11th to come up with a plan to get rid of the rats. If they do not, the county will take action to eliminate the problem.