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Tag: Rodents

  • Cronut Bakery Reopens Tuesday After Mouse Infestation

    On Friday April 4, the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene closed down Dominique Ansel Bakery in the Soho area of Manhattan, New York following a rodent infestation.

    The bakery is famously known for cronuts-a crème-filled croissant-mixed-donut.

    Loyal customers line the sidewalk of 189 Spring St. daily to grab one of these sweet treats-sometimes even before the store opens.

    These desserts have apparently become a major “food craze in New York.”

    But it also seems that Dominique Ansel Bakery customers are not the only ones who are fans of delicious cronuts.

    A customer reported the infestation to local journalists after video recording a mouse running across the floor of the restaurant.

    Amy Ma, a rep with Dominique Ansel Bakery, told the New York Post that the establishment is quite offended that a customer would report the issue to the media before presenting it to the owner first.

    “We had a customer who took a video of one mouse that ran across the bakery floor and sent it as a tip to journalists without informing our staff,” Ma said.

    After the first visit by health inspectors, the doors to the bakery were immediately bolted from outside visits. 

    The Department of Health demanded the problem to be fixed before the bakery was given the green light to reopen.

    The rep told sources that she was surprised that the bakery wasn’t given another inspection, but shut down so promptly.

    “After an entire night of deep cleaning [and not finding any mice] we were visited by not one, but four health department inspectors today,” Ma said.

    Ma says that professional pest control workers were called in to re-cement and exterminate the shop-especially the basement.

    The health department approved the shop’s condition on Monday. The bakery will be back in business Tuesday.

    Images via YouTube

  • Infected Rat Kills 10-Year-Old Boy

    Infected Rat Kills 10-Year-Old Boy

    A ten-year-old boy tragically died from rat-bite fever. Aidan Pankey was a healthy, happy child who adored his pet rat named Oreo and wanted her to have a family of her own. Aiden purchased a black male rat called Alex from a San Diego Petco in order for his beloved Oreo to have babies. Aiden’s grandmother, Sharon Pankey, spoke about the bond between owner and pet that was special for Aiden and Oreo. “He’d pop her on his shoulder and that little rat would hang on. It was like she was saying, ‘All right! Let’s go dad,’” Sharon said.

    Aidan was excited about the prospects of Oreo having babies and wasted no time sharing this enthusiasm with he grandmother. According to Sharon, “He said, ‘You know Grammy, when Oreo has babies I’m going to be grandpa and you’re going to be a great-grandma.’”

    When Aidan purchased Alex from Petco, he was not aware that the rat had rat-bite fever. Two weeks after purchasing Alex, Aiden became sick and tragically died a day after showing symptoms. Alex, the male Petco-purchased rat, was sent to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention where it took several months for the diagnosis to be determined.

    Oreo was also infected with rat-bite fever. “One of the things he loved most, his rat, ended up in him dying because the rat we bought, we found out later, had rat-bite fever,” Sharon said.

    The family is left devastated at the loss of the vibrant young boy who adored his pet Oreo. Aidan’s heartbroken father discussed his sorrow at losing the son he loved. “He was my family. I’m probably down 30 to 35 pounds since then. I don’t even get hungry. I just go until I pass out. It sounds bad but I just want him back,” he said.

    Image Via Wikimedia Commons

  • Ice Cream Cone Warehouse Raided Over Rodent Problem

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this weekend announced that U.S. Marshals raided a food storage facility in Waynesboro, Virginia on September 16. The raid was conducted do to FDA inspectors finding “widespread” rodent and insect infestations at the location.

    Two companies, Gourmet Provisions and Royal Cup, used the premises to store food products. Gourmet Provisions manufacturers ice cream cones, branded as “Matt’s Supreme Cones.” Royal Cup provides coffee services and solutions, having clients such as Chick-Fil-A, Cracker Barrel, IHOP, Red Lobster, The Ritz-Carlton, and Waffle House. Products from both companies have been seized.

    “These companies have a responsibility for the safety and quality of their products,” said Melinda K. Plaisier, associate commissioner for regulatory affairs at the FDA. “When firms do not uphold this responsibility, the FDA will take actions that demonstrate its commitment to assuring consumers that foods they buy are prepared, packaged, and held under sanitary conditions.”

    The raid was conducted under warrants issued by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia. The warrants were issued after an FDA inspection found the rodent and insect infestations, as well as “unclean equipment” and “structural defects.” The agency asserts that the facility did not take “effective measures” to get rid of the infestations or clean food contact surfaces.

  • Groundhog Day Prediction to be Streamed Live Online

    Everyone snowed-in and sick of winter will be happy to learn that the yearly Groundhog Day prediction in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania will be live-streamed online this year. The Pennsylvania tourism website will stream Punxsutawney Phil’s annual “prognostication” from this website. The prediction is scheduled to take place around 7:25 am EST.

    According to the folk tale, six more weeks of winter are predicted by Phil if he sees his shadow. If not, an early spring is “just around the corner.”

    The tradition of Punxsutawney’s Groundhog Day dates back to 1887. Since February 2 falls on a weekend this year, record crowds are expected to visit Gobbler’s Knob.

    In addition to live-streaming the event, the Pennsylvania Tourism Office has again teamed up with Foursquare to offer a special Groundhog Day badge. The first 500 Foursquare users to check in from Gobbler’s Knob on February 2 will receive a Groundhog Day-branded Slinky toy. The Slinky was declared the official toy of Pennsylvania in 2001.

    Last year, Phil predicted six more weeks of winter, as is usually the case. Still, there is always hope that the groundhog will predict an early spring, and that the prediction will happen to be correct.

    For those who prefer to sleep in on their Saturdays, the movie Groundhog Day is currently streaming via Netflix Watch Instantly. It is, in every way, more entertaining than one of the real predictions. As proof, last year’s festivities (which consist largely of men in top hats making a spectacle of a terrified rodent) can be seen below.

  • Hantavirus: Yosemite Campers Catch Rare Disease

    A rare disease that killed one man and sickened a woman has been linked to a camping spot in Yosemite National Park. The Associated Press (AP) is reporting that a man who stayed at the Curry Villiage camping spot in Yosemite died from hantavirus. A woman who stayed near the man during the same time also contracted hantavirus and has become sick, but is expected to survive.

    Park officials told the AP that this is the first hantavirus-related death in the park’s history, though two other cases of hantavirus have been recorded in the past 12 years. Hantavirus symptoms can take weeks to appear in those infected, so campers are being advised to seek medical treatment if they develop any symptoms, which are listed below.

    The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) describes hantavirus as a life-threatening disease spread by rodents, especially deer mice. The early symptoms of hantavirus, such as fever, chills, and muscle ache, are similar to the flu. After this period, those infected can begin to feel better, but find it hard to breathe within 1-2 days. A dry cough, malaise, headache, nausea, vomiting, and shortness of breath are further symptoms of hantavirus. If not admitted to a hospital promptly, the virus can cause lung, kidney, and/or heart failure, leading to death. According to the NIH, there is no effective treatment for hantavirus infection involving the lungs, and more than half of those infected in their lungs die, even with aggressive treatment including breathing machines.

    The NIH advises that people avoid exposure to rodent urine and droppings to decrease their risk for hantavirus. The NIH website even contains detailed instructions on working in an area where rodent droppings are likely to be. The process involves airing out the area, disinfecting it, and spraying mouse nests with a bleach solution before incinerating them.