Worried about rats in New York City
start recruiting experts
Rat in Times Square. AP Yonhap News
New York City, United States, which is struggling with rats, has started recruiting experts at a huge annual salary.
New York City recently created a senior position to coordinate and take responsibility for various city-wide rat removal efforts. Currently, a task force (TF) for the eradication of mice is being operated together with the department of pest and harmful animal countermeasures under the Ministry of Health, and biologists who study the ecology of mice are also employed.
New York City explained that the new high ranking was created because no one was responsible for running the rat extermination operation efficiently. Qualifications for this position, which can receive an annual salary of 120,000 to 170,000 dollars (approximately 150 to 220 million won), are a college graduate or higher and at least 5 years of experience.
New York City said in a job posting that “you need a ‘killer instinct’ and conviction to fight the swarm of rats that live in New York.” Rats have been a scourge in New York for a long time, but recently the citizens are dissatisfied with them as they do not fear the human gaze and behave much bolder than before.
Some analysts suggest that the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) may have changed the habits of New York City rats. Immediately after the start of Corona 19, when New York City restaurants closed, swarms of rats began to come out and find food, and later, as restaurants began to open outdoors, it became natural for swarms of rats great to find food on the street.
The fact that New York officials in charge of quarantine, such as rats and various pests, were placed in large-scale vaccination centers after the Corona 19 event also seems to have influenced the spread of the radius of action of the swarm of mice big
Citizens who took part in the New Year’s Eve ‘Ball Drop’ event were cheering in Times Square in New York on the 1st (local time). New York City limited the number of participants to 15,000, a quarter of the previous year, and required participants to wear masks and proof of vaccination, but many participants took their masks off.
New York Associated Press” style=”padding: 0px; margin: 0px”>
▲ Welcome 2022… Welcome to the New Year in the global village that has forgotten Corona
Citizens who took part in the New Year’s Eve ‘Ball Drop’ event were cheering in Times Square in New York on the 1st (local time). New York City limited the number of participants to 15,000, a quarter of the previous year, and required participants to wear masks and proof of vaccination, but many participants took their masks off.
New York Associated Press
A rat swarm explodes
“I lost my appetite.” One man said he was sitting outside in a restaurant in New York when several rats ran across his feet. He explained that the rats have become bigger and bolder recently, such as chasing people or making temporary ones.
In fact, last year at least 13 people were hospitalized and one person died after contracting leptospirosis, an infection carried by rodents. According to New York City officials, this is the highest ever. The number of direct calls to complaints about mice also increased by 15% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
It is analyzed that as restaurants close and subway users decrease following Corona 19, rats that were looking for something to eat in food waste in the shade ran out into the streets when food became scarce. It seems that the increase in shops serving food at outdoor tables as the indoor business of restaurants has been temporarily restricted due to the influence of Corona 19 has also had an impact.
Richard Reynolds, an expert on rat control, told AP News, “What happened during the pandemic was that all the restaurants were closed (for the rats).” It is said that as they forage in the open rather than in the shade, they are seen more often by humans.
Reporter Yumin Kim
