Rat plague in New York: Desperately looking for a “rodent czar” to stop the invasion

The New York City government, led by Mayor Eric Adams, posted a job posting this week looking for someone to head the fight of the metropolis against the rats.

The official job title is: “Rodent Mitigation Director”, although he was soon made the Mouse Tsar. Salary ranges from $120,000 to $170,000 annually.

“The ideal candidate is a highly motivated and somewhat bloodthirsty individual who is determined to look at all solutions from various angles, such as improving operational efficiency.data collection, technological innovation, waste management and wholesale abatement,” says the job posting.

The advertising is colorful, but the work is very demanding.

The long fight against mice

New York City officials have tried to control the rodent population for generations, with mixed results.. Sightings of rats in parks, on sidewalks and other places in the city have increased recently.

The City Rats survived former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s multimillion-dollar effortwhich focused more on garbage collection and better home inspections in specific neighborhoods.

the city too launched a program to use dry ice to suffocate rats in their hiding places.

When he was Brooklyn Borough President, Adams once demonstrated a trap that used a bucket full of toxic soup to drown rats attracted to the smell of the food.

Now the Adams government is looking for a rat specialist to become the public face of the city’s eradication and education efforts.

“Cunning, voracious and prolific, the rats of New York are legendary for their ability to survive, but they don’t run the city, we do,” the job posting reads.

Applicants are expected to have a sense of humor and “take the lead, using practical techniques to exterminate rodents with authority and effectiveness.”

Some measures against mice in New York

In October, New York authorities announced tighter restrictions on placing trash bags on sidewalks for collection by health care workers.. The trash has fueled the explosive growth of the city’s rat population.

Urban legend has it that there is a rat for every one of New York’s 8.8 million residents. But a 2014 study showed the city probably had around 2 million rats. Indeed, the pest control company Orkin has said that the American city with the most rats is Chicago.

“The ideal candidate should be highly motivated and have some bloodlust, determined to pursue all solutions from various angles, including operational efficiency improvement, data collection, technological innovation, waste management and wholesale slaughter,” reads the announcement.