New Yorkers are officially taking the war on rats into their own hands, but how and why did it get this bad?
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00 New Yorkers are officially taking the war on rats into their own hands, but how and
00:05 why did it get this bad?
00:10 New York City is known for a number of things.
00:13 Its iconic yellow taxis, Times Square, the Empire State Building, and, regrettably, its
00:19 rats.
00:20 Rats have always been present in NYC, along with most large cities, but in the last few
00:25 years the rat problem has only gotten worse.
00:28 Rats arrived in New York in the late 18th century, likely brought over by international
00:32 shipping.
00:33 In recent years there have been more and more complaints filed regarding the vermin, and
00:37 this is often attributed to the pandemic.
00:39 Between more residents working from home, hence more trash bags on the sidewalk, and
00:43 budget cuts to the sanitation department in 2020, the issue only worsened.
00:47 A number of attempts have been made to curb the growth of the rat population.
00:51 In 2022, residents were asked to only take out their trash at night time.
00:55 To limit the number of hours waste was exposed on the sidewalks.
00:59 Not to mention rat traps being placed throughout the city, in subways, sewers, and around businesses.
01:04 A number of Big Apple mayors have attempted to deal with the rat problem, but Mayor Eric
01:08 Adams made headlines for hiring the official "Rat Czar."
01:12 Though Rat Czar is only a nickname for the title of "Director of Rodent Mitigation,"
01:17 the woman appointed has one job, get rid of the rats.
01:20 Now residents are taking the matter into their own hands to battle "Croc-sized rats."
01:26 The first ever Anti-Rat Day of Action was held in Harlem on August 12th.
01:30 New York's sanitation department, among others, showed up to teach residents how to
01:34 keep the pests away.
01:35 The first Anti-Rat Day of Action was held in Harlem.
01:39 We've had rats the size of crocs, average size 8, running up and down the street.
01:45 Today we're going to cut off their food source and reduce their habitat.
01:49 Take away the places they can live.
01:52 Residents have been advised to use containers to keep rats out of exposed bags, and composting
01:56 has been recommended to reduce the amount of trash on the streets.
01:59 There is no easy solution to the rat problem in the Big Apple.
02:03 Old plumbing, subways, and weather conditions make New York City the ideal place to start
02:09 a rat family.
02:10 Though many remain unconvinced, a great deal of New Yorkers are hoping the Rat Czar will
02:14 be able to help wipe the rodents out.
02:16 For all your trending news, find us everywhere @whatstrending.
02:20 [whoosh]
02:22 (whooshing)
02:24 [BLANK_AUDIO]