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Rats aren’t only a part of New York City’s underground — they’re an inseparable part of its pop culture.
There’s Master Splinter from the Ninja Turtles, Pizza Rat, and even Cannibal Rat. But for every celebrity rat, there’s another 250,000 to 2 million anonymous rodents living in the city — and the city health department is fighting to bring down.
The battle can be deadly. Last year, three people in a Bronx city block contracted leptospirosis through rat urine. Only two survived.
To combat the problem, Mayor Bill de Blasio launched a $32 million initiative to rid New York of its signature rodents, concentrating on hyper-infested areas that the city describes as “rat reservoirs.”
Multiple city agencies are currently focusing their efforts around public housing buildings, where they plan to replace dirt basement floors, block passageways and amp up trapping, baiting and poisoning efforts.They also apply dry ice to the rats’ burrow systems, effectively suffocating them as the carbon dioxide gets released while the ice melts.
But if all else fails, a small group of dedicated rat hunters are ready to step in.
When dusk settles, Richard Reynolds and his vigilante rat hunters known as “The Ryders Alley Trencher-Fed Society” — or R.A.T.S for short — roam lower Manhattan’s streets and dumpsters, keeping their dogs’ instincts sharp and the hunting tradition alive.
In the three decades Richard has been hunting rats with his dogs, he says he must have killed thousands of rats. But he doesn’t really keep track.
A hunter through and through, he only counts the ones that get away.
What are some of the ways in which The Rat Hunters ensure the safety and well-being of the captured rats before releasing them?
In New York City, rats have become a ubiquitous problem that plagues the residents and visitors alike. They scurry around the subway tracks, nibble on food scraps in alleyways, and infiltrate apartments. But a group of vigilantes has emerged to combat these pesky rodents.
The group, made up of volunteers, call themselves The Rat Hunters. Every night, armed with gloves, flashlights, and zip-ties, they patrol the streets of New York in search of rats. Their mission is to capture rats and release them in areas away from human populations.
The Rat Hunters do not discriminate when it comes to catching rats. They capture them in parks, alleys, and even residential areas. The group’s founder, John Hynes, says that the rats in the city are a public health issue and he sees it as his duty to help fight against them.
The group follows strict guidelines and regulations to ensure their safety and the well-being of the captured rats. They use humane traps to catch rats and avoid handling any dangerous or diseased rats. Before releasing them into the wild, the rats receive a veterinary check-up to ensure they are healthy and free of disease.
Despite their best efforts, there are still some who criticize the group’s actions. Some argue that their methods are ineffective, and others say that the rats are just going to come right back. But the Rat Hunters argue that they are doing their part to create a safer and cleaner city for everyone.
Furthermore, the group’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Their dedication to making the city a better place has inspired others to join their cause. The Rat Hunters have expanded to other cities, and families have adopted some of the captured rats as pets.
In conclusion, the Rat Hunters are a group of dedicated individuals who are fighting against the rat problem in New York City. Their efforts are not only making the city a cleaner and safer place, but they also serve as a reminder that individuals can make a difference in their community. The Rat Hunters are proof that nothing is too small of an issue to fight against, and their work serves as an inspiration to all who wish to make a positive change in the world.
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