Last year, the city Department of Health & Mental Hygiene began a pilot program to combat New York’s rat problem by identifying rat colonies, horrifyingly called “rat reservoirs,” and eradicating them at the source. The program has proven so successful that it’s being expanded to all 5 boroughs and getting a funding increase from $400 thousand to $2.9 million, Reuters reports.
Deputy DOH Commissioner Daniel Kass told Reuters that there has been an 80-90% decrease in reported rat sightings in the 7 neighborhoods in the initial program, including East Harlem, home to a notorious “rat reservoir.” This is down from 2013, when rat complaints spiked.
This is probably a more effective method of rat management than the MTA’s experiment with removing garbage cans in subway stations.
(Photo: Ludovic Bertron)
