Fears of rat plagues are spreading in Sevilla after footage emerged of rodents roaming the historic city in broad daylight this week.
The presence of rats has become a growing concern in recent months, particularly in areas like Pino Montano, San Jose Obrero, San Pablo and Nervion.
It comes after footage last summer showed how a children’s park between the districts of Macarena and Pino Montano had become overrun with rats, sparking outrage among locals.
Sevilla is the third-most visited in city in Spain, attracting more than three million tourists each year.
This week, local Sevillano Ruben Sanchez shared two videos on X that showed rats scurrying along the ground during the middle of the day.
Sanchez, who is the spokesperson for consumer rights group Facua-Consumidores en Acción, claimed they were filmed in Pino Montano and San Jose Orbero.
It comes after the Spanish Eye recently pictured a dead rat in San Pablo-Santa Justa, just a few minutes’ walk from the major Santa Justa railway station.
The videos have been widely shared on social media, with locals in Sevilla Este and Doctor Fedriani also claiming to be suffering from rat problems.
Local Maria Belmonte, who lives in Pino Montano, told the Spanish Eye today: ‘There are loads of people in the neighbourhood complaining, people are worried about the health implications.
‘What I do know is that there are more rats because people have been poisoning stray cats… So if there are no cats, there are more rats.’
One video shared in February showed a huge rat scurrying around the centre of the city, with the local who shared the clip dubbing the animal a ‘capybara-rat’, in reference to the much larger South American rodent. Others in Pino Montano claim the rats are ‘bigger than pigeons’.
But Sevilla City Council have been quick to dismiss the concerns, saying they have not recorded any upticks in rat populations in the aforementioned neighbourhoods.
Municipal sources told Diario de Sevilla that pest control efforts ‘are ongoing and active in all districts of the city.’
During the first quarter of 2025, a total of 744 manholes were inspected between Pino Montano and San Jose Obrero, where a new underground metro route is currently being constructed.
The council is also ramping up its pest control budget by 300%, from €160,000 in 2024 to €480,000 this year. In 2023 it was just €73,000, meaning an overall increase of over 600% in two years.
The increased costs are due to the contract with the soon-to-be-chosen pest control company now lasting the full calendar year.
Due to climate change, November, December, January and February are typically warmer than usual, meaning rats and nasty insects like cockroaches are sticking around longer.
The City Council said: ‘The reinforcement of rat extermination, disinfection, and insect control will address the control of various vectors that can pose a risk to public health and the environment.
‘These include rodents, cockroaches, mosquitoes, ticks, and other insects that can act as transmitters of diseases.’
