Rat catchers busy in KL airport

Rat catchers busy in KL airport

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Pest-busters have caught more than 3,000 rats at Malaysia's new international Kuala Lumpur airport since it opened in June.

The national Bernama news agency quoted transport minister Ling Liong Sik as saying late on Monday that the pest problem at the airport was under control.

He said that by the end of January, a total of 3,340 rats had been caught and destroyed.

Rats have been a problem at KL International Airport since the ultra-modern $2.25 billion facility 70 km south of Kuala Lumpur started operations. Pest control experts said the site of the airport, a former oil palm plantation, was an ideal habitat for rats.

Last month, a Malaysia Airlines captain aborted a flight to Perth and returned to the airport after a rat was spotted on board. An MAS spokesman revealed the rat was in the first-class cabin.