At around 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 29, a rat was spotted by students in a Center for Sciences and Innovation (CSI) chemistry lab. A chemistry faculty member reported the sighting to Facilities Services to have the animal removed. While Trinity University has access to pest control services, a third-party contractor was called in to lay out non-lethal glue traps. The traps have been set since early October but have yet to be successful in capturing the rat. Today, the elusive rat is still at large inside CSI as staff wait for the traps to lure the rat in for proper removal.

Leslie Bleamaster, the science facilities manager for CSI, first received the report in regards to the rat.

“[I have] seen no evidence of it, so like no stashes of like it’s going to find food… or no droppings, no torn up plastic or chewed up items, so it was a complete surprise to me because we’ve seen nothing in the eight years prior being in this building. We’ve never seen or heard evidence of rodent activity,” Bleamaster said.

Eddy Kwessi, associate professor of mathematics, claims to have sighted the rat over the summer outside of CSI.

“It was kind of interesting that I saw such a big animal around,” Kwessi said. “For such a big animal, he must have some kind of little cage or someplace where he lives.”

However, the removal of the rat using glue traps may not sit well with all members of the animal-loving, Trinity community. Sophomore Kaylin Balyeat, member of the CAT Alliance and owner of rats herself, notes that glue traps “are circumventing the big thing by denying them food… it can be very, very ugly. Limbs can get caught [and] getting animals out of the glue trap is a really delicate process. It is just not a humane trap.”

Despite the controversy surrounding the usage of glue traps, contractors still frequently use glue traps as a method of animal removal. However, the Trinity community remains hopeful that CSI’s temporary furry friend gets removed safely to prevent any health and safety concerns to staff and students.