Animals suffer from the corona crisis
New York diners have unpleasant encounters with hungry rats
– Rats feed mainly on leftover food and rubbish © Robert Mecea / Picture Alliance
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Rats have always been a problem in New York. The lockdown plunged the animals into a tough fight for survival. In times of need they become more and more aggressive when looking for food.
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The rat plague is an ancient phenomenon in New York. The old legend that there are more rats than people in the “Big Apple” is probably not true. But according to a scientific survey from 2014, around two million rats live in the city – that is almost a quarter of the population of more than eight million people.
The Corona crisis not only hit the people in New York hard, but also the rats of the city. The animals eat a large part of leftover food, but since the restaurants had to close during the lockdown, there was significantly less food than usual. In the struggle for survival, the rats in New York are becoming increasingly aggressive, also since the first restaurants have now reopened . As reported by the New York media, guests in the outdoor areas of some restaurants have to defend themselves against hungry rats who are after their food.
Consequences of the lockdown: New York rats fight for survival
Because of the Corona precautionary measures, many restaurants have relocated the seats from the indoor area to the open air: The corona virus has a small chance of spreading there. This, in turn, suits the rats. After the tough times of the past few months, they dare to get closer to the guests to get something to eat. A restaurant owner told NBC New York that a rat had run over the shoe of one of his guests.
This is hardly surprising for scientists. “If you take away their food, every mammal shows abnormal behavior very quickly,” said Bobby Corrigan, a biologist who specializes in rodents, of the Gothamist platform. During the lockdown, there were fewer complaints about rat incidents in New York than ever before. The animals, however, were in a tough fight for survival during this time.
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Corrigan reports that he received calls in which citizens told him how rats were playing with each other in their backyard. A misconception, says Corrigan: In all likelihood, it is a question of hungry rats attacking each other. “In the end, someone will be eaten,” says the researcher.
Restaurant owners fear for their reputation
The fact that the restaurants have now opened again for a few weeks makes it easier for the rats to survive. However, the operators fear for their reputation and their income if guests have unpleasant encounters with the animals in front of their restaurants. They are therefore calling on the city to invest more money in garbage disposal.
But politically there does not seem to be any effort in the near future – the budget for the rat control program was cut by the mayor before the crisis. So some New Yorkers are tackling the problem themselves: As “NY1” reports, groups of rat hunters have formed who set out to kill rats several evenings a week. However, experts also assume that the population has already decreased naturally during the lockdown.
Swell:“NBC New York” / “Gothamist” / “NY1”
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