Free rat (prevention) training

Via the EVG inbox...

What scientists found in NYC rats

[East 12th Street the other day]

Via The Verge:

[S]cientists captured 133 rats from traps set in five locations around New York City, euthanized them, then took genetic samples of the bacteria and viral specimens found in their tissues and excretions (saliva, feces, etc). The scientists found lots of viruses, not surprisingly.

But while many of the bacteria detected were expected — including e. coli and salmonella — the scientists also found at 18 completely new viruses. None of these new viruses have been found in humans, at least not yet, but two of them are structurally similar to Hepatitis C, which does occur in people and raises the risk of liver scarring and cancer.

While there's no immediate cause for alarm, the scientists note that that the spread of these new viruses from rats to humans could theoretically already be occurring and is possible in the future...

On Sunday, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer released an audit showing widespread deficiencies in the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's response to citizen complaints about rats.

Comptroller: City is losing the rat race

[A rat maze in Tompkins Square Park via Scuba Diva]

Via the EVG inbox yesterday...

At a press conference today in Harlem, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer unveiled findings of a new audit showing widespread deficiencies in the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s (DOHMH) response to citizen complaints about rodents.

“This is a rat race we’re all losing and it’s one that affects our quality of life,” Comptroller Stringer said. “When people discover infestations in their homes and on their blocks, they expect a quick and effective response. Our audit found that the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene wasn’t managing its pest control program effectively, even as the number of complaints about pests grew.”

The number of pest complaints in New York City jumped from 22,300 in 2012 to 24,586 in 2013. Comptroller Stringer’s audit examined whether one of the agencies primarily responsible for pest control, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, adequately followed its procedures for addressing pest control complaints during the period from July 1, 2011 through April 8, 2014.

DOHMH receives pest complaints online and through New York City’s 311 complaint call system, which are then assigned to one of five regional offices for inspection and notification, as well as the baiting and clean-up of properties if owners fail to act.

Auditors found DOHMH had weak oversight of its Pest Control Services program and failed to follow its own procedures:

• In 24 percent of the cases examined, DOHMH failed to check out citizen complaints in the 10-day target that it has established as the proper time in which to respond;

• In 160 cases, there was no field inspection attempt at all and 14 still had an open status in DOHMH’s system as of March 2014;

• There was no indication that assessments were conducted in 44 percent of 386 instances where inspectors requested clean up services during FY13, a required step before remediation can proceed; and

• DOHMH failed to give some property owners notifications of city orders to eliminate rodent conditions – thus increasing the risk that rat infestations may spread through a neighborhood.

“Rats are a daily, stomach-turning insult to New Yorkers — whether they’re scurrying over people’s feet on the sidewalks, invading homes where children sleep or swarming through restaurants,” Stringer said. “Without a vigilant and timely response by the City to citizen complaints, this problem will come back to bite us again and again.”

As NPR reported in August, the East Village will be one of the testing grounds for the city's new "rat reservoir pilot" — an initiative to try to reduce the rat population in neighborhoods with chronic infestations.

The Villager has a follow-up on this initiative here.

Let's talk about rats

The 6th Street A - B Block Association is co-hosting a talk on rat prevention with the NYC Department of Health tomorrow night at 7 at the 6th & B Community Garden. Details are on the flyer below…



An organizer says that the area has been inundated with rats of late … in part because of the demolition of 98-100 Avenue A between East Sixth Street and East Seventh Street.

Meanwhile, in Tompkins Square Park, some people think the rat population is near the levels of the TSP Ratstravaganza during the summer of 2011.

And, despite the signs, people never stop feeding the birds and squirrels ... ultimately helping supply the rat colonies ...





Bottom photos this week via Scuba Diva

... and this morning in the Park...

The East Village will be testing ground for a 'rat reservoir pilot'

[EVG file photo]

From NPR:

When Caroline Bragdon, a rat expert with the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, walks through the East Village, she's not looking at the people or the storefronts. Her eyes point down, at the place where the sidewalk meets the buildings and the street. "If you look really carefully, you can even see their hairs," Bragdon says, pointing to a little hole in the sidewalk next to a sewer grate. "When we see something like this, what we say to each other is, 'This catch basin is hot.' You know, 'This is ratty.' "

By that measure, this is one of the hottest neighborhoods in New York City. And it's one of the testing grounds for the city's new "rat reservoir pilot" — an initiative to try to reduce the rat population in neighborhoods with chronic infestations. Part of the plan is to hire extra exterminators and to seal up holes in sidewalks, parks and other public infrastructure. Rats can squeeze through the tiniest opening "in doors, in windows, in sidewalk curbs, in any building infrastructure," says Bragdon. "Rats only need a hole or a gap the size of a quarter to enter."

Woo! Maybe we can think of some other 'reservoir pilots' for the neighborhood!

Read/listen to the full report here.

H/T EVG reader Andréa

The giant rat is back outside Ben Shaoul-owned building on East 5th Street

The inflatable union rat was back out this morning at 515 E. Fifth St., where landlord/developer Ben Shaoul continues to fight for a zoning variance that would make legal the illegal addition that he added in 2006.

An EVG reader sent along these photos ... and the flyer explains the presence of the rat ...





As for No. 515 here between Avenue A and Avenue B, they'll be another Board of Standards and Appeals hearing about the illegal addition on July 15.

Yesterday's hawk in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Bobby Williams

Today's hawk-eating-a-rat photo in Tompkins Square Park

Photo by Bobby Williams

A holiday feast

A rat, no turkey or ham for this red-tailed hawk on East Seventh Street.

Photo by peter radley

Today in red-tailed hawks eating a rat on a fire escape

EVG regular William Klayer caught the action on East 12th Street just east of First Avenue… Oh, that stare!

How rats get fat

Noting a new sign along Tompkins Square Park… around the East Ninth Street entrance at Avenue A ... a popular site for people to dump a few tons of bread for the pigeons…

Of course, some Park regulars like the rats fat.

Lunch break

Ah, fall! Me. You. The leaves! And a red-tailed hawk eating a rat in Tompkins Square Park.

Photo today by Gail George.

Today's hawk-on-rat action in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Bobby Williams

Updated 10-22
Goggla has some more photos here.

Noted

A scene today in Tompkins Square Park via EVG contributor Derek Berg ... a resident humanely caught a rat in her apartment... and released it into the wilds of Tompkins Square Park...

Rat caught trying to steal bike on East Eighth Street?

Looks that way. However! Passerby #1 says that the real story is it was trying to get into a neighbor's window ... and the neighbor sprayed it with water... then the rat was perched on the bike. Weird! Or not!

Of rats and parties

You may have seen Gawker's "Vermin-Party Index" from yesterday afternoon... in which they examined more than 260,000 311 complaints classified as "vermin" or "loud party/music" from January 2010 to July 2013.

How did this area fare? Pretty good! (Well, good as in bad.)

No surprises here...

Top Party Complaint Neighborhoods:
Interior Williamsburg (11211): 3,544 complaints
East Village (10009): 3,106
Lower East Side (10002): 2,985

Overall though, when you combine the number of vermin and party complaints, we just cracked the top 20 in the five boroughs. The 10009 zip was 20th with 3,761 total complaints about rats and parties... and 10003 was 29th with 3,120 complaints.

Tops? The 11226 zip (Flatbush) with 7,574 complaints, of which 5,847 were rat related.

Head over to Gawker for all the charts and what not.

H/T RyanAvenueA

Rat battle on East Second Street

We've heard from several residents who live on East Second Street between Avenue A and Avenue B... These residents say that there is a rat problem at 188 E. Second St, a single-level structure that's home to the beverage distribution company.



Said one resident: "It's full of rats that run and in out all night. Dozens of them. People walk their dogs here. There are little kids. A restaurant next door. It's a real mess."

The residents don't think that the operators here are doing enough to curb the rat population. Calls to 311 haven't done much, the residents say. And now a sign campaign has started.



However, the Beverage folks have responded... providing their side of the story...

Mind the rats please

EVG reader Robert Miner spotted this just off East Houston and The Bowery. What will they want next?

Dangling rat

Today in Tompkins Square Park, via Bobby Williams...

Turned out to be a nice afternoon to be in Tompkins Square Park (unless you were this rat)

Cleared up nicely this afternoon... in time to bring people into the Park... to watch a hawk maul a rat...



Photos by Bobby Williams