The irony of it all! City Comptroller William Thompson says that the Department of Health response time for checking out rodent complaints generally lags. Though the Department of Health (and Mental Hygiene) has been improving its efforts, including starting the Rodent Control Initiative Program to rid particularly troubled areas of pests, the average time it takes the DOH to inspect a complaint is 30 days. Which isn't that good when we think about it, because the gestation period for a brown rat is just 21-23 days. The Comptroller also recommends better monitoring of rodent complaints, as many of them may be duplicated. The DOH agreed with the findings, but noted that rodent complaints had increased greatly. It's been said before, but why not have some super hungry cats prowl the streets?
Here's the DOHMH's rodent complaint form; you can also call 311. Rats like to hang out at some movie theaters and grocery stores. If you want to learn more about the furry fiend, we highly recommend the book Rats. And check out this super gross but very cool photograph of a rat decomposing in Brooklyn!
Photograph of rat smoking a posthumous cigarette from Jason Toney
