Rat 'Epidemic' Could Invade New York City This Summer

Rats "bigger than kittens" are set to lay siege to New York City, according to people who used to be paid to get rid of them.

They told AM New York that deep cuts to the city's pest control staff could cause a spike in rat infestations.

"There's going to be a major epidemic during the summer with the rodents," said Rosemarie Vasquez, a former city pest control aide.

From AM New York:

Citywide, the 311 hotline received about 10,500 rodent complaints in 2010, up more than 5 percent from 2009. In 2011, complaints are up 9 percent through the beginning of March compared to the same period a year ago.

The Health Department insists it does not expect the staff cuts to have an effect on New York's rodent problems, largely because the Pest Control Bureau within the department is still doing inspections and exterminations.

The department has also tried a new approach to combating the rats by inspecting entire neighborhoods simultaneously and then returning every eight to 12 months. The program saw positive results in the Bronx and is being implemented throughout the rest of the city this year.

Daily Intel's Chris Rovzar is skeptical of the claims made by AM New York's sources:

Basically, in an effort to get their jobs back, these pest workers are trying to terrify you (and by you, I mean Intel Nitasha) into thinking that without them, soon enough you're going to be sharing your picnic table in Bryant Park with a fearless, Garfield-size rodent who's going to systematically put his paws on every single one of your french fries before you can get to them, such that you have to cede them to him in a polite but shaming show of defeat.

Last year's pests du jour, bedbugs, have gotten more attention from public officials lately. The city announced earlier this week that it would go after landlords who repeatedly ignored bedbug infestations.

Let's hope the City Council and Bloomberg Administration haven't taken their eyes off the ball when it comes to rats, or we could all wake up with them crawling on our faces or worse.

Comments

[WarriorLemming]

09:19 AM on 04/14/2011

QUOTE:
"The Health Department insists it does not expect the staff cuts to have an effect on New York's rodent problems"

haha, spoken like a true, knuckle-dragging 'bagger--but we have more than enough to spend on a war in Iraq brought on by lies of WMD's. When we can't afford to take care of Americans health and safety but no one blinks at these figures.....it's disgusting.

*Initial deployment of troops: $9 billion to $13 billion
*Conducting the war: $6 billion to $9 billion per month
*Returning forces to US: $5 billion to $7 billion
*Temporary occupation of Iraq: $1 billion to $4 billion per month

Estimated Costs of an Iraq War
http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aairaqwarcost.htm

[BrooklynChef]

10:56 AM on 04/04/2011

OH RATS!

[tosc]

09:02 AM on 04/03/2011

NYC has become a rats paradise! anytime there is new construction they pour out of the ground, darting every where. Living in the city is like living in boxes ontop of rat and roach resorts. The mystique is gone for us. The city is for those who see the city in a mystical sense. That it affords them theatre, food variety, fashion, music and the like...I can get that by visiting at my leisure. NYC used to be a city of dreams, now it is a city of unemployment, poverty, begging and anger.

[robnelsong]

10:38 AM on 04/02/2011

If a few of the rats take up residence in Bloomberg's McTownhouse, the rat squad will get additional funding. One can only hope.

[tcny]

11:57 AM on 04/03/2011

No they won't... they'll just get pulled off all other extermination projects until his highness is satisfied that his environment has been purified.

[bluguy8]

10:17 AM on 04/02/2011

you must not be in NY. There is a rat problem and has been for years

[Blaque]

10:59 PM on 04/01/2011

We need to get rid of the rat in office a.k.a Bloomberg send him on his merry way with his bag full of billion dollar cheese.

[jeffp26]

09:50 PM on 04/01/2011

Is the GOP convention back in the apple this summer?

[bluguy8]

10:17 AM on 04/02/2011

if theres rats- sounds like it

[rikster]

05:35 PM on 04/01/2011

these rats should be made to pay when they use the subways...

[joebiteme]

04:54 PM on 04/01/2011

Maybe if the folks who lived there took responsibility for their dwellings there wouldn't even need for the dept. Expecting NYC to not act like P I G S would be contrary to their upbringing

[jeffp26]

09:50 PM on 04/01/2011

Flagged for obvious stupidity.

[Andrew FingerlickingGree]

03:23 PM on 04/01/2011

Oh dear lord, my skin's already crawling looking at the pic!

[rikster]

05:36 PM on 04/01/2011

during the summer, at night, they are a fairly common sight.