There’s a possum on the loose in a Duke dorm. Fleas have been reported there, too.
Duke University officials are trying to capture an opossum in the ceiling of a student dorm on campus. It’s also the same dorm where students complained of fleas in their bedrooms and bathrooms.
“We haven’t caught the opossum yet,” said Joe Gonzalez, assistant vice president of student affairs and dean of residential life, on Wednesday.
Gonzalez said part of the reason is that the animal isn’t living permanently in the Few Quad dorm that houses sophomores, juniors and seniors. And it’s unclear how often the critter is in the building.
The residence life maintenance team investigated reports made in October, then the university brought in critter and pest control companies to help.
Gonzalez said officials have been trying to capture the opossum “or any other animals that were found.”
“And trying to seal off access points to try to keep the animal from getting into the building,” he added.
Students who are hearing the possum above their rooms are worried that it hasn’t been captured despite several attempts, including putting a cage in the ceiling for a week, according to the Duke Chronicle.
One student told The Chronicle that the possum was an “added stressor,” especially during midterms. She said she was also concerned about the sanitation of the rooms because the critter was in the air vent.
But Gonzalez said students shouldn’t be too worried about their health or safety as long as they aren’t coming into contact with the opossum and it isn’t roaming the halls or going in the bedrooms.
Did it bring fleas to the dorm?
The possum could be the source of the fleas reported in the dorm, Gonzalez said, but officials haven’t been able to confirm that.
Students first reported fleas about three weeks ago. They complained of flea bites on their legs and feet. In response, the university fumigated a bathroom, sprayed in the four rooms that were affected and inspected several other rooms. They also put out light and heat traps for fleas in a few rooms to identify whether there’s a problem in those areas.
Students were evacuated during the cleaning and offered free housing in another dorm. They’ve all returned to their rooms, and the bathrooms have been reopened.
But only time will tell whether the fleas are gone for good because of their adaptable life cycle.
“The life cycle of the flea does present challenges to knowing that the problem has been fully eradicated,” Gonzalez said. “The treatments used might address certain stages of the life cycle and not others.”
He said while adult fleas may have been eliminated, their eggs can wait to hatch if they see that the conditions aren’t good for them.
With Duke’s $78,608 per year price tag, students have certain expectations of their campus housing. And pests aren’t part of that deal.
“We’re paying so much money to Duke,” senior Kinza Khan told The Chronicle. “The least that can be done is no fleas, you know?”
As the university continues to monitor the problem and find the source of the pests, Gonzalez said that the students’ partnership is critical to resolving the situation. He advised students to immediately report any signs of flea activity or a suspected pest problem so that the university can step in and take care of it.
