A viral video on social media shows a large brown rat scurrying across the grill station in one of the University of British Columbia's campus cafeterias.
The video shows the rat making its way across the front of a grill station in the Vancouver university's Open kitchen on Tuesday (Jan. 17) night. A staff member working behind the counter spots the rodent and promptly removes it with a large pair of silver tongs. It isn't clear where the rat is deposited following its removal from the food service station.
In an emailed statement to Vancouver Is Awesome, UBC Director of Food Services Colin Moore stated that the grill station at the campus' Open Kitchen was closed immediately following the incident and all of the food was thrown away. Staff also performed a "thorough cleaning and sanitation" of the station.
"UBC Food Services is committed to providing clean and high-quality services and are working actively with our pest control partner to address the situation," he said.
"We have also proactively contacted Vancouver Coastal Health, and will work closely with them as needed."
All Open Kitchen employees have been informed of the incident and reminded about proper sanitation measures, added Moore.
As of Jan. 20, the video has been viewed on Reddit over 1,500 times.
V.I.A. has reached out to Vancouver Coastal Health and will update the story when a statement is provided.
