Help us save the domestic rats in Harborview Park!

This is the fundraising page for the care, support and recovery of the domestic pet rats that have been abandoned in the Harborview Memorial Park, in Portland, Maine. These are being identified as "Wild rats" and are being treated as dangerous and described as pests. They have been left to fend for themselves in the park, and are suffering from the cold, struggling to find food, and being targeted by predators they both have no experience with and normally would never be exposed to. They are being deliberately poisoned, killed, baited into lethal traps and are being treated as though their lives are insignificant. These are not wild rats and the lack of proper identification, lack of empathy from the city and state authority has caused irreversible harm to many of them. Even after many people have come forward to point out this mistake and have made efforts to recover these animals themselves with non-lethal methods, they continue to be deliberately destroyed with little effort.

As described by Wikipedia:

There are many dead, poisoned and injured that need immediate attention, and the ones that have been saved need continued care including veterinary services, medications, food, cages, bedding, toys and accessories.

There are many people going out into the cold, climbing through rocks and over trash, willingly spending hours and days of their own time in the effort to humanely trap and recover these animals. We are using our own money for every expense related to this right now, relying on what supplies we already have or can borrow from others as well as what may be given to us by compassionate individuals looking to help.

We continue to put all of our effort and our hearts into this and we fully intend to continue to save the rats until there are none remaining or we are forced to stop due to reasons beyond our control / legally. These are being treated as disposable, and we are being told they are not worth saving. Every one of these rats is innocent and deserves the love, respect and care that any other animal does. These don't belong in the cold, climbing through trash and being destroyed as if they are deliberately causing harm to anyone. They deserve to be safe, happy, healthy and in homes with the people who love them.

We need as much help as we can get, and we lack the funds for adequate care, transportation costs, supplies and media coverage, medical and legal counsel and more.

If you are able to help in any way, any small amount helps and every cent is going directly to the expenses related to these rescue attempts and the wellbeing of these rats.

This is 100% non-profit, in the event that we raised more money than we needed, it would all continue to go towards the care of future rats whether it be put towards the efforts of adopting or fostering them, or potentially donated to a rescue if that seemed to be the best option.