Tampines resident catches unexpected late-night visitor on doorbell camera
A Tampines resident was startled to discover that an unexpected late-night visitor had turned up outside his flat.
Stomper Haikal shared a photo captured by his doorbell camera after it detected movement outside his unit at Block 493C Tampines Street 43 on June 27.
The image, captured at about 3.01am, shows what appeared to be a rat that had climbed up his gate and was inspecting the camera.
“Our door usually just snaps photos when it detects movement,” Haikal explained.
When asked how he felt about the unexpected sight, he said: “I feel disgusted. I never thought it would be this bad until seeing rats reach higher than the ground floor.”
The Stomper said he has noticed more rats in the area recently and believes the issue has worsened.
“We face crows, rats and mosquitoes,” he said. “I’m not one to usually complain, but I think it’s a bit too much when rats are at my doorstep.”
He added that he had previously reported rubbish strewn around the estate via the OneService app in April.
“There could have been rats, but I did not catch them,” he said.
To make matters worse, Haikal’s daughter discovered a dead rodent when she returned home on June 30.
“Maybe this is the one that was at our door,” the Stomper said.
On July 1, Haikal noticed a rat trap placed near his unit for the first time.
“There were workers at night in orange uniforms walking around with traps,” he said. “After they did their rounds, they cleared the carcass.”
He also shared his personal “hot take” that feeding community cats may have reduced their natural instinct to hunt rats.
Town council steps up measures to reduce rat population in Tampines
In response to a Stomp query, Tampines Town Council said on July 8 that it has been working to reduce the rat population in the estate and had stepped up measures following the resident’s feedback to prevent rodents from moving up the block.
The town council said its pest control team inspected the area and deployed traps to monitor and contain rodent activity along the corridors and stairwells.
During the inspection, the team also identified and treated two rat burrows.
“Tampines Town Council remains committed to managing rodent activity through regular surveillance, treatment and preventive measures in partnership with our pest control contractor,” a spokesperson said.
The town council added that it will keep in close contact with the Stomper and provide updates and seek feedback on any further rodent sightings or activity.
The town council also said community support is “essential in keeping the environment inhospitable to rodents”.
It encouraged residents to support these efforts by bagging and disposing of food waste properly in covered bins and refraining from leaving food or food scraps in common areas.
When Stomp updated Haikal on the town council’s response on July 8, he acknowledged that the situation had improved.
“Yes, there is some improvement,” he said. “I have not seen rodents scurrying around at night recently.”
Explore more on these topics
See something interesting? Contribute your story to us.
