The rat problem in New York is deeply rooted, well known, and in a sense pop. A Wikipedia entry A collection of dedicated and very rich anecdotes e Viral videos Who says that. However, after lockdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the condition appears to have worsened, with a large increase in rat circulation.

The New York Times, Quoting recent reports: Rats climbing on desks during lunch, rats crowding in front of building doors, needing to make noise and frightening, rats attacking closed outdoor areas of restaurants, rats crossing the street in broad daylight, rats crossing the street with a (live) mouse Self-propelled garbage bags.

Estimating the number of rats is not easy, but one can get an idea of ​​their increase from certain signals. For example, by 2021, city authorities received 21,000 reports of rats (15,000 this year in 2019), and health inspectors have doubled the number of cases of rats found. Also, there are 15 cases in New York this year (one of which was fatal). Ellipsis, An infection that can have serious consequences for the liver and kidneys and is transmitted through rat urine – the highest number since 2006.

According to experts, eliminators and municipal officials, this situation was caused by a combination of several factors.
When restaurants closed due to the pandemic, the rats were forced to look for more outdoor food than ever before, but no problem: they found the dirt and bins on the street corners clogged with garbage and collected them on time. The effective way had been cut since last year Municipal Department of Waste Management. As lockdowns and city dwellers locked up their homes, the amount of household waste and its illegal distribution increased. With the city reopening, construction sites have also resumed, and their activities are trying to keep the rats open. In addition, many restaurants have set up outdoor tables and dormitories, making it more accessible to food scraps.

At the same time, inspectors who normally inspect rats are assigned to other monitoring tasks, such as checking whether restaurants have checked vaccination certificates. Finally, the summer of 2021 in New York was more humid than usual, with favorable conditions for the life of rats, and in October the population reached its annual peak.

For years the city has been looking for and experimenting with strategies to control the number of popular rats (including those without pain). Disinfection Women); In 2017, Mayor Bill de Blasio approved a $ 32 million project – approximately 29 million euros – which provided a more efficient system for collecting waste (in New York it remains on the streets overnight before garbage collectors collect it, which is a big part of the problem) and compaction bins.

Other methods of use include poisonous bait, traps containing liquid for drowning rats (Considered very effective The new mayor, Eric Adams, added dry ice to the trenches.

But experts say none of these strategies will be effective as long as the rats get plenty of food and the city needs to start managing waste better.
Edward Grayson, head of the waste management department – says after the cuts last year – the department has largely restored available resources, “doing everything it can to keep the streets clean.”

– Also read: “Rats Catch New York”