Guerre contre les rats : La nouvelle stratégie de la ville de New York
New York is waging an all-out war against rats, the ubiquitous illegal inhabitants that roam sidewalks, parks, and alleys. Among the methods employed: removing food sources, which is driving down their population.
This food deprivation - through the disposal of waste in the street, the blocking of access to buildings and raising awareness among residents - causes physiological stress in rats, which results in particular in a drop in their reproduction.
"Perhaps this forces them to go further in search of food," but the fact remains that "they simply have fewer young," explains Caroline Bragdon, director of interventions for the city's pest control service. And "less reproduction leads to less rat activity."
This phenomenon is being observed in a pilot program being conducted in the Harlem neighborhood of northern Manhattan, where the city is testing several combined approaches, including applications for mapping rodent activity and chemical contraception.
"Whatever method you use, it works," notes Jessica Sanchez, a 36-year-old Harlem resident. "Before, when you took out the trash, there were rats running under your feet. I was even afraid to leave my son on the floor. And I'm not even talking about the smell."
Rats, whose diet is similar to that of humans - carbohydrates, fats and proteins - traditionally find their food in garbage left on sidewalks and in overflowing garbage cans.
However, this abundance of food has encouraged rapid reproduction and dense populations: a rat can have up to twelve young per litter, with five to seven litters per year, which explains the difficulty in stemming their proliferation.
"Reducing their access to food is the most effective measure today," says Caroline Bragdon.
In 2022, the city had already launched its "waste revolution": the end of trash bags on the sidewalk and the installation of plastic bins that now hold 70% of waste. This was after the Covid-19 pandemic, which had seen the number of rats in the city explode.
"With these new dumpsters, I no longer feel like I have to run between piles of trash to avoid rats," explains Karen Del Aguila, 50, interviewed by AFP in Harlem. "But if it's cleaner, it might just be because the mayor is trying to get re-elected (in November, editor's note)."
To combat rodents, 70 municipal inspectors have a mobile application that allows them to precisely locate areas of activity and direct their interventions.
To refine this strategy, the city is also experimenting with devices to study the feeding behavior of rats. Small boxes containing four different types of food have been installed in certain neighborhoods to observe their preferences.
"They're designed to make the rats feel safe and comfortable in their eating habits... and we analyze which ones are most likely to be eaten," Bragdon says.
The city has increased its budget for rat control, with $4.7 million allocated for 2025, compared to $3.5 million in 2023.
Since the implementation of these combined measures, a significant drop in rat reports has been recorded, with a 25% decrease in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to official data.
Chinatown, in lower Manhattan, is so far the only neighborhood to have successfully controlled its rat population, but City Hall hopes the trend will spread in the coming months.
AFP
Commentaires (6)
New York est une ville infected de rats et cafard sur tout Dan's Les veux immeunbles
La situation est pire à Paris.Allez à la Gare de Lyon la nuit.
C,est normal l,incivisme c,est ça qui donne ce desordre. Il faut tire vos pouvelles dans les contenedor. Personne ne respecte les regles minicipaux. J,ai vue des gens dont les contenedor sont a zero metre de leur maison mais il laisser le pouvelles devant leur porte ou entre les les parking de voiture. Et apres ils plaignent que le maire de la ville ne travaille pas. Retenez vous j,ai remarquer les villes les plus Propre au monde ,LEspagne figure parmi ces pays. J,aime LEspagne a causse qu,il sont propre..
L’Espagne est peut être propre,mais je pense qu’en Europe les champions de la propriété c’est les italiens.
Quid de la Suisse?
Manque t-on vraiment de sujets pour parler des rats américains?
Je pensais que le pays le plus propre en Europe était l Alllemagne. Le dimanche les gens sortent et nettoient les rue. Cela m avais choqué. J étais stationné dans une base militaire américain à Kaiserslautern or K Town comme on l appele. Cela montre que la civisme s apprend dès le base âge à l école mais pas dans la rue avec nos talibes
Ah ces sénégalais , des gens qui croulent sur leurs ordures qui nous parlent de New York et de Paris !😂😂😂
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