How To: Manage The City's Ratdemic

This just in (therefore it didn't make it into our newsletter): tonight the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is going to school New Yorkers on how to manage the city's ratdemic! They say, "for centuries, humans and rats have contentiously shared our city, competing for prime real estate in subways, apartment buildings and green spaces. From traps to toxins, New Yorkers are known to use extreme measures to banish these unwanted rodents."

The panel will include three rat experts, who will discuss the exploding rat population in the city, and problems it may cause for urban gardeners. You'll learn why rats appear in particular locations (like Grand Army Plaza), what can gardeners do to battle the four-legged infestations, and how city agencies can help (even with all the cuts).

The event is tonight at 6:30 p.m. should you feel like learning more about New York City’s most notorious inhabitants. Now, where's the panel on how to manage NYC's other unwanted population.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on October 5, 2010 12:10 PM

Comments [rss]

Eric

We should definitely release snakes to take care of the rat problem. Then when the rats are taken care of, we'll just release birds to take care of the snakes. Then when the snakes are gone, the obvious choice is to release cats to take care of the bird problem. After that, we throw some packs of hungry dogs into the mix, and goodbye cat-demic. Then, as if I even need to say this, we just release monkeys to take care of the escalating dog situation. And if it wasn't crystal clear, we turn the monkeys into our slaves and have a whole city of helper monkeys. And we can teach them how to cook French food and also take care of the illegal immigration problem at the same time. It's a win-win for everyone.

SPs Ghost

NYC has a sanitation system that hasn't really evolved much since the Roman era. We leave our trash out in the street in bags waiting until someone comes around to collect it. The only significant difference is the trash collector is powered by an internal combustion engine. If the sanitation system could be modernized, that would make a huge difference. Buildings should be required to put their trash into city issued rat proof mini dumpsters designed to work with the garbage trucks. Until the city of 8 million people can stop leaving tons of food out for rats almost every day, nothing will change.

The Great Bandini

Good, Kitty.

http://wanderingbrooklyn.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/old-brooklyn-photos/

yetanotherdamneduselessaccount

Ratdemic! Got that Ratdemic!

l3iodeez

A++++

Spidabags.

theboneranger

ASPCA: release all the cats you put to sleep on a daily basis. The end.

theboneranger

ASPCA: release all the cats you put to sleep on a daily basis. The end.

theboneranger

or something like that..

chuzzlewit

put the cat up to bat, the fat brat rats think we'll just sit and chat? if that doesn't scat knock them to the mat with a slat, with a punch not a pat, rapid fire rat-a-tat-tat with a hiss and a spat. that's the best format.