A Texas man resorted to bringing his own mousetrap on movie night as his local theater struggles to contain an ongoing rodent infestation.
Cinemark Theater in Waco has had multiple customers report mice in the theater, prompting local health authorities to launch an investigation.
On Thursday, Cole Pauley told KWTX he brought a mousetrap into the theater and surrounded himself with it to avoid worrying about mice getting too close.
“I was like, man I’ll just take mouse traps and build a wall of protection around me just so we don’t have to deal with it. They were like, ‘you won’t do that, you’re ridiculous, no one would do that’, I said, ‘watch me’,” he said.
By the end of the movie, one of Pauley’s traps successfully caught a mouse. Pauley said a likely cause was the city’s construction projects.
“All of this construction is driving these mice out of their fields they live in, they got to go somewhere. They’ll get it under control, I’m not really worried about it. It was just something funny,” he said.
The first incident of mice was reported on October 14. Abagail Salas told KWTX she saw one while watching a movie.
The woman said she heard someone scream and leave the theater, but she decided to stay.
“30 seconds later, I heard a noise, so I took out my flashlight, and on top of my drink was a rat that had climbed down from my arm and was biting the lid and straw in like a very hungry way,” she said.
An anonymous customer also filmed one of the mice crawling through the theater.
“Not only was it gross to see, but the smell is gross. When I stuck my head behind the seats, it smelled like a hamster cage. It just grossed me out knowing they serve food there because if you know there’s mice in the theatre, you know there’s mice in the theater,” they said.
In response, Cinemark said it has made progress in addressing the mouse problem.
“Given nearby construction, we’ve strengthened our protocols and partnered with specialists to maintain high standards of cleanliness,” a spokesperson said.
“We’re pleased with the progress and remain committed to delivering an outstanding moviegoing experience for every guest.”
However, Salas argued the theater had not progressed, and she had no intention of going back.
“I’ve had coworkers that have gone in the past week and it’s crawled up their arms or their laps. To me, these rats or mice are comfortable enough to climb on people now,” she said.
Public health officials said they were continuing their investigation into the theater.
“The department has performed onsite inspections and maintains direct communication with facility management one to three times per week,” a spokesperson said.
“Cinemark has made significant progress in addressing the pest concerns, and its pest control provider has reported a substantial reduction in sightings over the past two weeks.
“Cinemark continues to follow routine disinfection protocols and remains actively engaged in pest abatement and elimination efforts.”
