PelGar International is delighted to announce the winners of its PhotoRATic competition. As rodents are predominantly nocturnal, capturing images of them in their natural environment can be a challenge. You need to be in the right place, at the right time, and with your camera at the ready – we knew that getting a good image would not be easy.

“Having sifted through all the wonderful entries, with input from the Editors’ of PEST magazine, we have our winner – Martyn Belcher from ABM Pest Control in Mansfield who takes away £300 of PelGar products,” announces Nic Blaszkowicz, PelGar’s Global Marketing Manager. “His image was taken at a Nottingham nature reserve and clearly illustrates how rapidly rat populations can become established if no pest control is in place. Nature reserves attract visitors, keen to feed the wildfowl and to picnic, consequently remnants of food are always going to be around as an easy and accessible food source for a rodent population. Perhaps this is what all our open spaces would look like if there was a ban on anticoagulants!”

Taking away a £100 of PelGar product as a runner-up prize is an image of a cheeky rat, showing its climbing skills and head for heights and making the most of someone else’s rubbish. His image was snapped in Kelsey Park, Beckenham by Dean Levy from Essex based, 1env Solutions.

Ross Graham from Graham Pest Control was also commended, and will receive £100 of PelGar products for two images taken whilst on holiday in St. Andrews, Scotland.
This seagull, obviously fed up of being chastised for pinching the locals’ fish and chips, had more fruitful pickings in mind. He was seen chasing a live rat down a busy street, cornered it, then caught and swallowed it whole while it was still alive – not sure how well that was digested! – a novel form of pest control.