Re: West Kennet is a mess! | Forum — The Modern Antiquarian

andygreyweather Mar 3, 2005 00:12:48

Replying to jelliott71

02/03/05

West Kennet Longbarrow has become home to a colony of rats!

Visiting the longbarrow during a windy flurry of sleet, rat tracks were clearly visible in the snow running into holes above the entrance chambers. Inside, a rat hole now excavates off to the left and droppings abound!

I really love this place and I'm kind of fond of rats too ... I even looked after two pet rats for a friend a few years ago. but they defecate and urinate all over the place, with less bladder control than a Wallace Arnold coach tour. I guess the food offerings left by many visitors attracted the rats initially, yet their burrowing may well have destroyed much archaeology and in time might weaken this eroded structure even more.

As a vegetarian, I'm not exactly pro-poison when it comes to our rodent friends eviction, but the longbarrow's custodians may well feel that poison is the most economic answer to their removal and the quickest when it comes to ejecting them from the premises.

Clearly poison may well effect the field mouse and bird population, not to mention other small mamels, reptiles and indeed dogs. Initially, visitors might consider it best to leave some love within the longbarrow as opposed to more fruity offerings.

Whilst hardly a Silbury issue, anything that detracts from the stability of this wonderfully 'other worldly' place needs seriously addressing and nipping in the bud.

If anyone can suggest a way of rehousing the rats ... so much the better.

"There's a rat in me longbarrow, what am a gonna do?"

Andy, AVEBURY

Pete G Mar 3, 2005 00:20:51

Replying to andygreyweather

Andy,
This maybe something to do with all the offerings left there.
Over the summer ears of corn are a favourite.
Maybe the rats have got used to finding a source of food there.
Now that the river has flooded they are probably seeking higher ground,
there is very little food for them anywhere at this time of year,
Pete

Pete G Mar 7, 2005 22:59:31

Replying to andygreyweather

Andy,
You aren't kidding!
I went into the WKLB today and took hundreds of photos.
There is rat shit everywhere!
All chambers have droppings on the floor and I found 5 holes where they have tunneled through the dry stone walling.
I saw several kestrals scouring the barrow so they must have found a source of food, maybe they can help to keep the numbers down naturaly.
Amongst todays offerings was a bottle of alchopops, several sticks made into various shapes, flowers, moss and the usual tea lights.

The concrete cancer has really taken hold and the skylights are a mess.
With people walking on top the barrow there could be problems ahead!
It wasn't his bad last year and the only thing that has changed that I can see that would have caused the rats to invade is that David Hues has left a set aside area aound the barrow to encourage wildlife.
PeteG