It's one thing to witness a solitary rat dragging a slice of pizza down the stairs to the L train. It's another to watch a colony of about 200 rodents take over your neighborhood park.
Calls reporting rat sightings and conditions that attract the rodents are on track this year to exceed the more than 24,000 311 calls over each of the last two years, according to the Associated Press. But is New York actually facing, as one official told the AP, a "rat crisis"?
Self-appointed "rat czar" comptroller Scott Stringer says yes. In two different audits over the past two years, Stringer has taken the Department of Health to task for not addressing rat complaints speedily enough and he has scolded the MTA for not cleaning the subways more frequently.
Other officials disagree, arguing that the rat population has actually been holding steady in recent years. The Associate Press reports that city health department scientist and rat expert Caroline Bragdon attributed the spike in rat complaints to garbage left rotting on sidewalks during last winter's sizeable snowfalls and the fact registering complaints is now easier using the city's 311 smartphone app.
What's the city doing to keep whiskered vermin in check? The DOH has a team of nearly 50 people and a budget of almost $3 million to inspect buildings, scour sewers and parks, and control the rat population. De Blasio's new "rat reservoir" program is targeting rat hotspots as identified by high concentrations of complaints. The initiative involves setting traps, installing rodent-resistant trash cans and crafting legislation for better waste management plans.
New Yorkers can do their part by properly disposing of trash; most rats only need an ounce of food and water daily to survive, so even an apple core tossed into a garbage can instead of onto the subway tracks makes a difference.
