The intense cold of this week has led many residents of New York City to seek refuge in cozy places and feel exhausted. This includes the rats.
The most populous city in the United States has dodged the icy winds from the Midwest, not to mention the surprising record snowfall in the southeastern part of the country, in this week’s Arctic storm. However, temperatures hit their lowest point on Monday, with around -3 degrees Celsius (26 degrees Fahrenheit) and approximately -7 °C (20 °F) on Tuesday and Wednesday, well below average.
How the cold is affecting rats
This cold has a paralyzing effect on the famous rodents of the Big Apple. But it also enhances efforts to get rid of them, says Kathleen Corradi, the city’s “rat czar.”
“It’s stressing out the rats. It makes them stay in their burrows,” she says. “So now we can redouble our efforts while the rats ‘feel the heat’ of this intense cold.”
The wild rat species in New York City —Rattus norvegicus, also known as the Norway rat or brown rat— does not hibernate but becomes less active when the weather remains cold for extended periods. At the same time, the rodent’s food source tends to decrease because there are fewer people on the streets, and therefore, fewer food wrappers and other snacks are discarded, Corradi said.
All of this causes stress in the rats and suppresses their reproduction, which “is really their superpower,” Corradi said. Norway rats can reproduce multiple times a year, essentially at any time when conditions are suitable, although they tend to be more prolific from spring to fall.
Jason Munshi-South, a professor of ecology at Drexel University who has researched New York City rats, said that those already sheltering in subway tunnels, sewers, confined spaces, or other nooks can withstand the cold quite well.
Rats that have not found a hiding place may venture into unusual places, such as car engine blocks. Or a tempting basement? Perhaps, if building owners have not diligently protected them.
Strategies to reduce the rat population
But Munshi-South said that some of those animals are likely to die from freezing, especially if they are already sick, malnourished, or weakened.
“Hard winters like the one we are experiencing will keep the rat population at a lower level if we have sustained cold periods,” he said in an email.
All of this, Corradi said, allows city rat fighters to make progress before the warmer months arrive.
There is no official count of rats in New York City, but no one disputes that they have been numerous for a long time. Successive city governments have tried various approaches to eliminate them, or at least reduce their numbers.
The current mayor, Eric Adams, a Democrat who has battled these pests in his own Brooklyn home, created Corradi’s position — officially, director of rodent mitigation — about two years ago.
Adams’ administration has also focused on requiring the “containerization” of trash, which involves putting household and commercial waste in closed containers instead of piling up plastic bags filled with garbage on the sidewalk.
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