New York City hosts inaugural 'Urban Rat Summit' in hopes to combat rodent problem: 'Quality of life issue'

New York City kicked off the very first Urban Rat Summit on Wednesday with Mayor Eric Adams declaring "War on Rats" while giving opening remarks for the event.

The two-day event is being held at Pier 57 in Manhattan, with officials and scientists from cities across the U.S. and Canada present.

"Wow, I didn't realize we were going to get so many people showing up to talk about rats," said Mayor Eric Adams during his opening remarks.

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There are an estimated three million rats in New York City, according to pest control company MMPC. The National Park Service reports that rats can also carry the pathogens hantavirus, leptospirosis, rat bite fever, and salmonellosis to human populations.

"I’m excited to welcome my fellow generals in the ‘War on Rats’ to our great city for the inaugural National Urban Rat Summit," said Mayor Adams in a press release. "We’re looking forward to sharing new strategies and best practices for rat mitigation and reduction over the course of the summit."

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has made mitigating rats a priority during his administration, appointing Citywide Director of Rodent Mitigation Kathleen Corradi in April 2023. Adams also established a fourth "Rat Mitigation Zone" in Harlem last year.

Another weapon in the "war on rats" comes from New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who plans to containerize the 14 billion pounds of trash that the city produces annually, ending the "all-you-can-eat rat buffet."

Mayor Adams calls the rodent problem in the Big Apple a "real quality of life issue." According to his opening remarks on Wednesday, he has been in talks with city leaders around the world who face similar concerns.

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"I was speaking to the mayor of Paris where, you know, they just use their sewage system and just, you know, put the garbage down there," said Adams. "So there are different methodologies to address a real quality of life issue."

Adams also offered anecdotes of residents sharing horror stories with rats in their homes and around their families.

"I remember as board president, a group of mothers came to me showing me photos of rats that would get into the cribs of their babies and eat the food on their faces," recalled Adams. "So it impacts the health and it also impacts our mental stability."

"And you could only imagine, you know, lifting of your toilet seat in the morning and seeing a rodent come out or your garbage bag. You take the garbage, you put it outside and you see a rat run across your feet. You think about that all day," said Adams.

The Urban Rat Summit continues on Thursday, with programming focusing on "a framework for urban rat mitigation challenges, encompassing parks, sewers, construction sites, public housing, yards and alleys, and trash containerization," according to a press release from City Hall.

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"Thank you for being here. Let's be energetic. Let's share our ideas. Let's figure out how we unify against what I consider to be public enemy number one, Mickey and his crew," concluded Adams.