How New Yorkers Try to Rid the City of Resident Rats

Cheddar News took the streets to talk about why millions of feral rats reside in New York City and what locals are doing to rid themselves of the problem. These rodents are known carriers of different diseases such as toxoplasmosis, salmonella, and the Bubonic plague. Needless to say, they pose a significant health risk.

New York has long been known as one of the rattiest cities in America with some estimating close to 2 million rodents roam its streets. Both city workers and residents have been waging a never-ending battle against these four-legged fiends.

They talk with the people behind Ryder’s Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.), a volunteer group that uses rat terriers to root out the offending rodents from hiding places within the city. The task is extremely difficult, as rats have been around since the city was founded. Despite these odds, founder Richard Reynolds and his team do what they can.

The dogs are trained to dispatch rats. they have jobs that they do. ….We’re not really having an effect on the rat population in New York. we do it for the dogs first. For their enrichment, for the fulfillment of the dog’s DNA. we’re helping the community out secondary to it, which is good but you’re never going to control a rat population. It’s a never-ending thing.

They also speak with Annmarie Pristera of Intelligent Pest Control, who has some good advice for residents.

The very first thing I would do would be to get rodent proof trash receptacles. If you eliminate the compelling food source, the rats will be more likely to one, not breed as often, and two, not set up shop in places where people are. They’re with us because of our garbage and our littering.

Unfortunately, rodent-proof trash receptacles don’t work if they’re not emptied regularly. Such is the case with a 2017 NYC trash initiative, which looked really good on paper.

….some of these new and improved trash cans are not as effective as advertised. You see a solar-powered compacting rat-proof can whose purpose is totally defeated by being left open and by all the stuff around the edges. so you might just as well have a regular old container. They don’t work because they don’t lock them.

Despite the best efforts by dedicated people, it looks like rats are here to stay and will probably outlive us all.