In Akaa, Finland, a daycare center named Onni has found rats within its indoor premises, prompting the temporary relocation of all children to another daycare, Akaanportin, as well as to a community center. This move comes amid ongoing concerns about a rising rat population in the area, which has been an issue since at least Christmas week. Despite pest control efforts, rats are still prevalent in the area, indicating a troubling situation for the community and those managing the daycare services.

Miia Kollin, the regional director of Norlandia, which operates the Onni daycare, stated that the children could remain in the temporary facilities for several days as the situation is assessed and addressed. The issue of rats has been increasingly significant across Finland in recent years, with contributing factors such as milder winters allowing for larger rodent breeding patterns and recent regulations banning the sale of rodenticides to private customers, which has made pest control more challenging for residents.

According to evolutionary biologist Tuomas Aivelo, the rat population in cities like Helsinki has risen by about ten percent in recent years, amounting to thousands, potentially tens of thousands, of rodents. This growth presents not only a health risk for residents but also underscores the need for more effective management and control strategies to deal with the increasing rat presence in urban settings, suggesting a systemic issue that requires immediate public health attention.