Rats are taking over some of the world's biggest cities, and it looks like they might be heading to your neighborhood next. Cities like New York, Paris, and London are seeing a surge in rat populations, thanks to abundant food sources and cozy hiding spots. These rodents are super adaptable and can squeeze through tiny gaps to invade homes and businesses. It's a growing problem, and pest control experts are warning that if cities don't get a handle on it, more places could soon be facing rat infestations. So, it's a good idea to start thinking about keeping your place rat-proof before they come knocking! Credit:
Chicago Rat Hole: WinslowDumaine, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Original_Photo_of_the_Chicago_Rat_Hole_from_WinslowDumaine_Tweet.jpg
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FunTranscript
00:00So, this woman was peacefully finishing her fancy lunch with friends in Chelsea when she
00:05spotted they weren't alone at their table.
00:07There was a sewer rat!
00:09Hey, welcome to New York!
00:11Brooklyn alone houses over a million rats.
00:14Even luxurious Manhattan is swarming with around 500,000 of them.
00:19Overall, around 3 million grey critters are currently munching on the Big Apple.
00:24Oh rats!
00:25There used to be untouched land patches that were home to these animals.
00:29But with development and construction, they were forced to move into cities and suburbs.
00:33It's one of the reasons why the rat population in NYC grew by 800% over the last 65 years.
00:43Not only may rats be gross, but they're also seriously dangerous.
00:47According to estimates, rats are to blame for 40-60% of all bird and reptile extinction.
00:53They're now after people.
00:54In 2021, 14 New Yorkers were diagnosed with conditions caused by pathogens transmitted
01:00by rats, with one of them sadly passing away due to that.
01:05Back in the 50s, there were only about 250,000 brown rats in New York.
01:09In 2015, it was already 2 million, and today, it's 1 million more.
01:15These long-tailed New Yorkers have been roaming the city since the 18th century.
01:19Rats embarked on ships in Europe and traveled visa-free to the States.
01:24Their first stop was supposedly New York City, and they firmly settled down there.
01:29The brown rats' lifespan may not be long, only around 2 years.
01:33But these creatures are ready to reproduce when they reach the age of 2 months.
01:37It only takes them 2 seconds to mate, and they normally give birth to 8-10 little ones.
01:43Plus, they can have litters around 6 times each year.
01:46Well, I'll do the math for you.
01:48It means that one single rat can recreate 120 new rats.
01:53So this lightning-speed breeding is another reason for the current infestation.
01:58Unfortunately, these critters aren't as adorable as Remy from Ratatouille.
02:03They can fight one another, and some of them have missing parts of their tails and eyes.
02:07And they've got extremely sharp and hard teeth.
02:10Rats can even gnaw through the concrete walls of our houses and destroy our cars with their
02:14bites.
02:15Their teeth are 5.5 on Moore's scale, which means they're harder than steel and can
02:21even be compared to an actual knife.
02:23They're also great escape artists.
02:26Rats can jump 4 feet across and 3 feet high, and their dugouts normally have 3 exits – the
02:32main one and two just-in-case ones, which makes them pretty hard to catch.
02:37However, seems like one rat didn't escape, causing the Chicago Rat Hole.
02:42It started attracting tourists after a tweet by a comedian went viral in January 2024.
02:48The hole was eventually filled in, but later restored by a local.
02:52There is a slight chance it might've been a squirrel, but the mass media insists it
02:56was indeed the rat.
02:58Still, it's not unusual that notorious rat stories appeared in New York City headlines.
03:03The first time was in 1860, and five years later, the New York Times mentioned that the
03:08Big Apple was already getting a notorious reputation for having more rats than any other
03:14city in the Union.
03:18In 1893, electric trolleys burst onto the scene, kicking those old horse-drawn ones
03:23to the curb.
03:24So rats had to bounce from their cozy stables where they'd been chowing down on grains
03:29and set their sights on human residences.
03:31It didn't take long for these furry troublemakers to make a beeline for Rikers Island, which
03:37was turned into a dumping ground in 1894.
03:40Rats even had the audacity to feast on fresh veggies, pigs, and other farm animals at the
03:46farm that sprouted on the island later on.
03:49Fast forward to the 1930s, when these adventurous rats grew some courage and started swimming
03:54to other parts of New York, even finding their way to the fancy neighborhoods of Long Island.
04:00But the real panic started in 1997, when estimates claimed there were 28 million rats in New
04:07York.
04:08That was a bit far-fetched, but the real number today looks horrifying either way.
04:13Still, even taking into account all those rat superpowers, it might not be very clear
04:18why their population has grown that much.
04:21The answer can be found in almost any supermarket, and it's a simple plastic bag.
04:26They got popular in the 50s, and in 1971, the city introduced plastic trash bags.
04:32Before, there used to be metal cans for waste that were pretty hard to get in.
04:36But with the appearance of plastic bags, which were super easy to gnaw through, all the trash
04:41out there became way more accessible for rats.
04:45Plus, a little rat doesn't need much food – just an ounce a day will do.
04:49So they were well-provided.
04:54Climate change took its toll too.
04:56Even though rats do not hibernate in winter, a cold climate would slow down their reproductive
05:01cycles.
05:02However, with warmer temperatures, it got much easier for them to breed, even in the
05:06winter.
05:07But New York City is really stepping up its game this year.
05:10New York City authorities made some cool changes to prevent garbage from just chilling
05:14out on the streets for hours on end.
05:16They've tweaked their trash take-out times for both businesses and residents.
05:21But that's not all.
05:22The Big Apple has also put some rules in place for all food-related spots in town, which
05:27is around 40,000 bodegas, restaurants, delis, and grocery stores.
05:32Now they have to dispose of their food waste in secure containers, instead of just tossing
05:37it in flimsy trash bags on the street.
05:40And in Washington, D.C., the authorities allocated $3.4 million for 2024 to start replacing those
05:47old bins with newer and bigger ones.
05:49In 2022, New York City tried to recruit a rat czar, someone that would be in charge
05:55of rodent migration, offering up to $170,000 for the job.
06:00The next year, Kathleen Karate was appointed to this position.
06:07You may live in the best neighborhood, but there's no guarantee you won't have rats
06:11in your house.
06:12If you disagree to have such roommates, there are actions you can take in order to prevent
06:17this co-living from happening.
06:19First, check your foundation for holes and cracks and seal them if you spot any.
06:24Second, you're gonna need some mesh netting.
06:27Place it around all the utility openings that enter your home.
06:30These may be gas pipes, electrical boxes, and dryer exhausts.
06:35Also, if you live in a house and not an apartment, such a harmless thing as vegetation may also
06:40attract unwanted guests.
06:43So your shrubbery should be well-trimmed, otherwise it risks becoming a bridge for rats,
06:48and they'll have access to your house.
06:51There are also other things exterminators can do to prevent rat infestations.
06:56For example, they sometimes may add glass to concrete when patching holes.
07:01But experts say the most effective method to keep rodents at bay is to not share food
07:06with them, even unwillingly.
07:08It's easy to say, but in New York City, there's trash lined up in the streets sometimes, so
07:13rats always have access to food.
07:16However, if these critters don't have easily accessible food, they'll just look for it
07:20somewhere else.
07:24And it's not just New York City.
07:26Furry critters are causing havoc all over the world, and New Zealand has decided to
07:31take on rats in a serious way.
07:34They created the Predator Free 2050 program aimed at not only kicking out rats, but also
07:39putting an end to other pesky invaders like possums and stoats.
07:44Big cities across the world are implementing measures to curb the rat population, such
07:49as changing trash disposal practices and securing food waste containers.
07:54But the problem persists.
07:56Rats can squeeze in spaces as thin as a pencil.
07:59As long as their skull fits in, they can squeeze in anywhere.
08:03So don't throw away garbage if your bin can't be properly sealed.
08:07Also, make sure the bins are clean, as rats are attracted to smells.
08:11If the bins in your neighborhood are dirty, contact the authorities.
08:15And if yours are dirty, better clean it up, otherwise someone might rat you out.
08:23That's it for today!
08:25If you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends.
08:29Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!