Among the qualities the new anti-rat “czar” – as he’s called by the local press – must possess is a “fierce heroism against animals” and a “killer instinct to fight the real enemy: the relentless rat population” of the city.
A director of rodent control earns between $120,000 and $170,000 per year. “Despite a successful strategy of public engagement and a cheeky presence in the press, rats are not our friends. They are enemies and must be defeated by the combined forces of our home,” reads the ad along with requirements for the newly appointed vacancy. , with no shortage of humor.
“New York rats are known for their ability to survive. But they don’t run the city. We do,” recalls Jessica Tish, head of the Department of Public Health, who recently began selling shirts with that slogan for $48.
In the capital of consumption and disposables, where there are almost no bins for organic and inorganic waste and garbage bags pile up on the roadsides, rats have become a common sight on the landscape, and passers-by must be careful not to step on one. .
In the first four months of this year, the City Council emergency line received 7,400 calls warning of the presence of rats, a 60% increase on the same period in 2019 before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Legend has it that there are as many rats in the city as there are people – about nine million – and that myth has been debunked by a local statistician.
Authorities fight them with poison, birth control pills, trained dogs, the use of dry ice or dry ice, sticky traps, and alcohol. All without much efficiency.
The local authority is trying to strictly adhere to scheduled littering times as New Yorkers face heavy fines.
The city’s mayor, Democrat Eric Adams, often repeats, “There’s nothing I hate more than rats.” “We need to clean up our city and get rid of these filthy creatures,” said the former police officer, who was sworn in in January.
The creation of the new position coincides with a decision made by the City Council a week ago during a budget adjustment to cut 4,700 jobs and outsource some municipal services.
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