Good News New Yorkers. We don’t have the country’s worst Rat problem… we only have the second most rat-infested city in the US of A. Who’s No.1? How bad is our problem? Find out here.
Rats are as much a part of life in New York City as a sh*tty subway and slow walking tourists… they aren’t necessarily the most positive aspects of living here, but minor annoyances we deal with as a part of the New York Package. With our ratty neighbors stealing pizzas, swarming delis and in the city announcing a $32 Million war on rats, you’d be forgiven for thinking we have the worst pest problem in the country. Thanks to a recent report, now we know we don’t.
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Earlier this week, Orkin (pest control specialists) released their annual report on the “Top 50 Rattiest Cities” in the country. The list ranks cities by their rodent population, more specifically, the rodent treatments Orkin performed from September to September of the following year.
The good news is that NYC isn’t number one, that dubious honor goes to Chicago who has owned the “top spot” four years in a row. New York? We’ll we’re number two.
Before we pat ourselves on the back too much, it’s worth noting that these numbers are only in relation to ONE extermination company. That is by no means an accurate… could be that most rat sightings in the city go unreported.
How many rats live here? Well, a cursory google search will take you to a Wikipedia reference to a 2014 study stating:
An often-repeated statistic is that there are more rats than people in the five boroughs of New York City (8.4 million in 2014), with some estimates putting the number of rats far higher at as many as five rats per person (33.6 million).
One silver lining was a plan announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio in July of this year. Namely a $32 Million War on Rats. The plan includes the purchase 336 new trash bins with mail-box style openings to stop rodents getting in, all wire trash cans in selected neighborhoods will be swapped out with big belly steel cans, and daily trash pickups in high rodent areas and city parks. Also, some legal avenues being pursued. the Mayor will propose a new local law forcing buildings with over 10 units in high rodent areas to take out their trash after 4 am on trash collection days.
Maybe our days of seeing rats dragging slices of pizza around subway platforms are numbered, maybe not… one thing we can cling on to though; at least we aren’t the MOST rat infested city in the U.S.
Featured image source [Wikimedia Commons]