A rat was caught in the window of a New York city lounge with its tail curled around a Grade A health inspection sign, a recent video showed.
Video footage shows the woman tapping at the window, and then the rat running to the other end of the sign to stare at the concerned patron head on, the Daily Mail reported.
The rat then scurried down to the floor and disappeared. The interaction occurred inside Dixon Place, a theater located in downtown Manhattan. Dixon Place is a nonprofit performance space with a fully equipped bar which is open on performance nights.
Dixon Place’s most recent health code violation came in 2019 when a food contact surface “was not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use.” The theater had three more violations before that, one in 2018 and two in 2017.
In order for a venue to receive a Grade A from the health department, “establishments must seal all cracks, crevices and holes in walls, cabinets and doors to prevent rodents, cockroaches and flies from entering.”
Establishments are also advised to install rodent-proof door sweeps on outside doors.
There are an estimated 3 million rats in New York City, a 50 percent increase from a decade ago, Curbed reported.
The rising number of rats has led to one man creating video live streams showing the rodents running amock in various parts of the city, the Guardian reported. Known as ‘rat tourism’, the purpose is to get viewers to call in to report rat infestations to the city’s 311 service.
“We had probably 100 complaints in one night in this one spot, and the city ended up coming by and getting rid of the rats at the construction site,” Kenny Bollwerk said.
To help mitigate the rising number of rats, restaurants are now forced to put food waste in containers as opposed to placing them in trash bags and putting them on the side of the road.