BY THE VILLAGE SUN | Rats are running rampant around the city, but what do we really know about them?
Sure, everyone’s seen the Pizza Rat video. And, of course, there’s that Chinese restaurant place mat telling you what zodiac sign rats are compatiable with (dragons and monkeys). And, definitely, we’ve all been busy stamping our feet, rattling chairs, shouting obscenities — and maybe even hurling knives and forks — at creeping rats to keep them at bay as we try to dine in outdoor sheds and seating. Ah, yes…just like Paris!
But New Yorkers are going to need to know a lot more than that about how to control the Ratpocalypse.
Luckily, Community Board 3, the Cooper Square Committee and the East Village Independent Merchants Association are sponsoring a Rat Academy training by the city’s Department of Health for local residents, management companies, supers and staff, business owners and restaurateurs to learn tips to tackle the pest pandemic.
The virtual event will be held Tues., Aug. 23, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. To register, click here.
Why all the rat rants?
As the UK’s Animal Aid society reports: “It is commonly presumed that rats spread disease wherever they go – a belief that stems from the spread of the Black Death 700 years ago. In fact, researchers have recently found that the Black Death was not spread by rats at all but by human-to-human contact …
“The media and pest control companies continue to spread fear about rats. It is true that rats – along with all animals, including humans – can carry and may spread disease. However, much of any threat can be eradicated with good personal hygiene and by keeping neighbourhoods clear of food and litter.”
And in its advice on how to adopt and care for a pet rat, the New Hampshire SPCA notes: “Rats engage in a behavior known as Coprophagia. This means that they consume their own feces. This is totally normal. Many animals do this. Since plant matter is not completely broken down the first time around, rats ingest caecals (a type of stool) to get as many nutrients as possible. This is somewhat similar to how cows chew their cud.”
Getting cars off the street is more important to our health than removing rats!
Most-needed and positive step for eradicating the rats — Eradicate the roadbed sheds — NOW!!!
The simple solution to the rat problem is dumping the dining sheds. They are a blight on our communities and have become rat hotels.