A popular Melbourne play centre has been forced to close its doors to undergo vigorous cleaning and pest control after a mother-of-two made a truly horrifying discovery.
The mum had been visiting the Chipmunks Playland in Caroline Springs with her two daughters and niece when she happened upon what resembled to be “hundreds of rat droppings and a worm” within the equipment.
Taking to social media, she shared a warning to other parents who may frequent the centre, and expressed her utter disgrace in an employee’s response to her complaint that the droppings were a “known issue” and that “pest control has been going there every week”.
“I, for one, would have been thankful to know there was a rat issue where my kids are playing, being curious little beings they are – putting everything in their mouths,” the mother wrote.
“I know how difficult it can be to keep a close eye on your children and it only takes 1 second for them to place one in their mouth.”
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The mother was too frightened to go further in her inspection.
Speaking to Kidspot, the mum explained how the droppings could have impacted her daughters’ lives, particularly as one has Down Syndrome and suffers from a poor immune system.
“Her health could have easily been compromised if she ate one. Those droppings obviously did not accumulate overnight, and being told that pest control has been going there means that those droppings could contain poison the mice have eaten, she could have easily fallen ill,” she says.
Chipmunks has since issued an apology in response to the overwhelming social media backlash.
“We would like to take a moment and apologise to our dear customers. What happened yesterday [Monday] was something we are very embarrassed and gutted about,” a statement on their Facebook page read.
“We take kids safety very seriously and we are so heartbroken with what happened.”
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