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The War on Rats in America: Cities Battle an Unseen Enemy
Across the United States, a new kind of urban warfare is raging — one not fought with guns or armies, but with traps, poison, and technology. From New York to Chicago, Los Angeles to New Orleans, city officials and residents are uniting against a common, resilient foe: rats.
A Growing Infestation
In recent years, rat populations in major American cities have exploded. The reasons are complex — climate change, overflowing rubbish, aging infrastructure, and the COVID-19 pandemic all played a part. With restaurants shuttered during lockdowns, rodents were forced out of alleyways and into residential areas in search of food. Once the cities reopened, they didn’t leave.
New York City, long known as America’s “rat capital,” estimates that it’s home to millions of rodents — with sightings up nearly 70% since 2020. In Chicago, the problem is so bad that the city has topped Orkin’s “Rattiest Cities” list for nine consecutive years. Los Angeles and Washington D.C. aren’t far behind.
City Hall Takes Action
Fed up with chewed wires, contaminated food, and frightened residents, cities are declaring war. In New York, Mayor Eric Adams has appointed a “Rat Czar,” Kathleen Corradi, tasked with leading the city’s anti-rodent efforts. She’s coordinating sanitation schedules, deploying new containment bins, and using dry ice to suffocate rats in burrows.
In Boston, officials have experimented with birth-control pellets to limit breeding. Chicago has released feral cats as part of its “Cats at Work” program, where colonies of sterilised cats patrol alleys. Meanwhile, tech startups are developing smart traps that alert pest control teams the moment a rodent is caught.
The Cost of War
The fight is expensive. Cities are spending millions of dollars annually on extermination campaigns, waste management reforms, and public education. Yet, despite these efforts, the rats seem to adapt faster than humans can control them. Experts warn that traditional poisons may no longer be as effective, as some rat populations have developed resistance to chemicals.
Beyond the nuisance, rats pose serious health risks. They spread diseases such as leptospirosis and salmonella, and their presence often signals deeper urban problems — poor waste management, overcrowding, and inequality.
A Cultural Battle Too
Rats have also become an uncomfortable symbol of urban decay. Viral videos showing rats stealing pizza slices or running through subway cars have turned America’s rodent crisis into social media spectacle. Yet, for many low-income neighbourhoods, the issue is anything but amusing — it’s a daily reality that underscores broader neglect.
The Future of America’s Rat War
Experts agree that the only lasting solution lies not in extermination, but prevention. That means cleaner streets, secure waste systems, and modernised buildings. Cities like Seattle are experimenting with underground waste collection units, while San Francisco has launched “zero waste” zones to cut food scraps that attract rodents.
The war on rats may never be fully won, but it’s reshaping how America thinks about its cities — forcing local governments to confront not only the rats beneath their streets, but the human habits that feed them.
Attached is a News article regarding the war on rats in America
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/569491/new-york-declares-total-war-on-rats
Article written and configured by Christopher Stanley
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