Wish I was there...so I can "help" with the rat problem heh heh.
A few weeks ago...a trapper was hired to "get rid" of some beavers that's chewing up some 100 year old trees near where I live. The city and the trapper didn't post any "Danger-Live Trap" signs...(Idiots of course....) and a dog a lady was walking got killed (That's why I typed "get rid" instead of "trap" above) by one of his traps. To protect their behinds, the city said the lady should've kept her dog on a leash...... Now the city have stopped the "trapping" policy and is trying to think of another way to remove those rodents. Btw, they used live traps a few months earlier...and released the beavers alot further away.....but they were told/warned by some govt agency not to do it. I'm tempted to offer my "airgun elimination" idea to them....but they'll probably require alot of paperwork....hunting license, proficiency test and what not....