New York City’s rat population, estimated at 3 million, may see a decline this spring following the city’s most severe winter in years. The historic deep freeze and heavy snowfall are expected to reduce breeding, according to rodentologist Bobby Corrigan.
“If they’re outside rats living in a park or something, and it’s cold, they stop mating,” Corrigan said. He explained that adult rats can survive cold by stocking food in underground burrows, but newborn pups without fur are vulnerable to hypothermia, so breeding pauses during extreme cold.
The city has been working to control rats through a policy requiring sealed containers for trash, which has been credited with reducing sightings for 14 consecutive months. Previously, New York’s tradition of leaving trash bags on the street provided easy feeding for rats.
Despite the potential decline, rats are unlikely to disappear entirely. Rat tours led by Kenny Bollwerk, known as “Rat Daddy,” continue to operate, with Bollwerk reporting that rats create snow tunnels and seek entry into buildings during winter. He submits sighting reports to the sanitation department and says he would be “willing to go out of business” to see rats eradicated.
