With New York City residents complaining of rats “the size of small dogs or cats” running wild through New York in “epidemic” numbers, the city intends to begin a war on rats by focusing on so called “rat reservoirs,” targeting subways, sewers and city parks for starters.
The city will hire new inspectors and spend $600,000 for rat indexing to track and reduce the rat population, WCBS 880′s Paul Murnane reported.
Many residents are said to be welcoming the initiative given the current situation.
“When I walked out the other morning and there were like six rats running around,” one Manhattan Valley resident said. “I thought, ‘You ever get use to this?’ But you don’t.”
“I see about 20 a day,” a man in Washington Heights told 1010 WINS’ John Montone. One woman said rats have infested her building on 154th Street, where one rodent bit a neighbor’s daughter.
“They’re taking over, it’s madness,” she said.
One sanitation worker complained that he has to kick and shake trash bags before picking them up to keep from being bitten.