New York “stresses” his rats to prevent them from reproducing

New York waged an all -round war against rats, these omnipresent illegal residents who walk sidewalks, parks and alleys. However, Among the methods used: the abolition of food sources, which lowers their population.

This food deprivation – by the elimination of waste in the street. Furthermore, the clogging of access to buildings and the awareness of the inhabitants – causes physiological stress in rats, which results in particular in a drop in their reproduction.

“Perhaps it forces them to go further in search of food”. Consequently, but it is always “that they simply have fewer little ones,” explains Caroline Bragdon, director of interventions for the pest control service of the town hall. Therefore, And “less reproduction leads to a lesser activity of rats”.

This phenomenon is observed as part of a pilot program carried out, notably in the Harlem district, in northern Manhattan. However, The town hall is testing several combined approaches in particular combining applications to map rodent activity and chemical contraception.

“Whatever the method used, it works,” notes Jessica Sanchez, a 36 -year -old Harlem resident. “Before when you get the trash out, there were rats that passed you under your feet. I was even afraid of leaving my son on the ground. And I’m not talking about the smell ”.

Rats. whose diet is similar to that of humans – carbohydrates, lipids and proteins – traditionally find their food in the waste new york “stresses” his rats new placed on the sidewalks and in overflowing bins.

However, this food abundance has favored rapid reproduction and dense populations: a rat can have up to twelve small per range, with five to seven worn per year, which explains the difficulty in stemming their proliferation.

“Reducing their access to food is today the most effective measure,” says Caroline Bragdon.

In 2022. the city had already launched its “waste revolution”: the end of the poubelle bags on the sidewalk and the establishment of plastic skips which now host 70% of waste. It was after the Cavid-19 pandemic, which had exploded the new york “stresses” his rats new number of rats in the city.

“With these new skips. I no longer have the impression of having to run between the heaps of garbage cans to avoid rats,” explains Karen del Aguila, 50, met by AFP in Harlem. “But if it’s cleaner, it may be just because the mayor tries to be re-elected (in November, editor’s note)”.

25% drop

To combat rodents, 70 municipal inspectors have a mobile application which allows them to precisely locate the foci of activity and to orient their interventions.

In order to refine this strategy, the city also experiences devices for studying the new york “stresses” his rats new eating behavior of rats. Small boxes containing four different types of foods have been installed in certain districts, in order to observe their preferences.

“They are designed for rats to feel safe and comfortable in their eating habits … and we analyze which are most likely to be consumed,” explains Ms. Bragdon.

The city has strengthened its budgets dedicated to the fight against rats, with $ 4.7 million allocated for the year 2025, against 3.5 million in 2023.

Since the implementation of these combined measures. a significant drop in rats reports has been recorded, with a decrease of 25% new york “stresses” his rats new in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to official data.

Chinatown. in the south of Manhattan, is for the moment the only district to have managed to effectively control its population of rats, but the town hall hopes that the trend will extend in the coming months.