It’s a rat-eat-rat world out there…
Humans aren’t the only ones affected by coronavirus in the city. The disease is also affecting our most prominent urban wildlife population, rats! But not exactly in the ways you might think.
NYC’s “rat expert” (didn’t know we had one…but it somehow makes a lot of sense), Bobby Corrigan, shared multiple updates on how the virus and city shutdown is impacting rat populations, and it’s nothing short of fascinating.
Since most restaurants are closed, and there is less trash being collected in certain parts of the city, the ample food sources NYC rats are accustomed to have been completely cut off.
COVID19: Rats Jumping Ship:The USS RatGravy Train. W/O the once daily/dependable, nutritious, & quick-hit garbage (i.e.,Rat's Trifecta), some panicked rat populatns carrying their own "issues" are in-fighting/killing, dispersing openly, & invading bldgs under door gaps🦠🔬🐀😬🙄 pic.twitter.com/0zIfiH9GHV
— Bobby Corrigan (@rodentologist) March 26, 2020
Corrigan told NBC News that “generations” of rats who live by a certain restaurant, who have perhaps “depended on that restaurant food for decades,” only have a couple of choices left when “life is no longer working for them.”
He said they will try to take over another rat group’s territory, and may even resort to eating one other and/or their young.
“A new ‘army’ of rats come in, and whichever army has the strongest rats is going to conquer that area,” Corrigan said to NBC. “It’s just like we’ve seen in the history of mankind, where people try to take over lands and they come in with militaries and armies and fight to the death, literally, for who’s going to conquer that land. And that’s what happens with rats.”
No wonder this guy is holding on to that Mickey D’s for dear life!
https://twitter.com/SubwayCreatures/status/1238465513342320641
Also, did you see Banksy Shared A Bathroom Masterpiece That Sums Up Lockdown Brilliantly?
featured image source: Shutterstock