Abstract
We surveyed the occurrence of rats in Miyagi Prefecture, a Tsunami disaster region of east Japan, in early November 2011, eight months after the Tsunami event. Snap-traps were set for 210 trap-nights in four sites, which were seemingly filled with diet, but no traces of rats were observed. Also we found no sign of rats in areas surrounding the trapping sites including temporal fish markets. However, nest holes, runways and fresh footprints of the Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus, were identified in an outside corner of a rice storehouse at a port. We conclude the Tsunami swept away most of the rats.
