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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Some Wal-Mart patrons are concerned about the presence of poison rodent traps in the parking lot outside the Old Airport Road store.

A cracked poison rodent trap sits near the Wal-Mart loading bay. The trap reads "Poison - Do not touch" in English and Spanish. - Lyndsay Herman/NNSL photo

"Poison - Do Not Touch" is written on top of the six traps stationed around three sides of the building, two traps per side, and all are easily accessible by pedestrians, curious children, or pets.

Gill Borg, who saw the traps while visiting the store earlier this week, said she doesn't understand why the traps aren't inside the building, where neighbourhood pets and other animals could not come into contact with them.

"They shouldn't be on the outside," she said. "It makes me think of the little squirrels and other animals. Dogs are likely to eat the poison because it resembles food."

Borg said in her experience, businesses have kept traps inside buildings rather than outside.

One trap, embedded in long grass near a door to the building at the edge of the parking area off of Borden Drive, is broken.

A strip of plastic from the back of the trap sits in the grass, however the lid appears secure.

Wal-Mart did not respond to questions about the extent of its rodent problem or how long the traps have been there. Wal-Mart also did not respond to questions about why a poison-based trap was chosen over other options.

Warnings written on packages of rodent poison available for purchase in Wal-Mart state the poison should be kept away from animals and children because the substance, often an anticoagulant called Warfarin, can be harmful to both.

Two of the traps outside Wal-Mart, however, are located along a pedestrian walkway between the building and the parking lot.

The other four are away from commonly used walkways but are fully visible and approachable from the street.

The warnings written in English and Spanish on the lids of the traps consist of raised white letters on a white container, which makes the warning difficult to read.

One customer, who asked to withhold her name, said she is glad Wal-Mart is addressing a rodent problem, if the store has one, and had no problem with the poison traps.

Another customer, who also asked to remain anonymous, said he was surprised to hear there was a rodent problem in the city and expressed his sympathies to any poisoned mice.

"That's some good cartoon material," he said. "Big old Wal-Mart up on a chair with little mice scuttering around their feet."

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