People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has said that New York City Mayor Eric Adams “hates rats” that regularly run through subways and invade buildings in the Big Apple. criticized.
The furry rodents frequently roam the subways and scavenge on the streets of the Big Apple, posing a health risk to the public, according to the New York City Health and Housing Authority.
But animal rights groups don’t think that way about rats. PETA wrote that Adams “seems like a lesson in kindness and respect for all New Yorkers.”
The group plans to send Adams an “empathy kit” that “provides a step-by-step guide to developing compassion” and a “Mouse Has Rights” mug.
New York City warns of record number of illnesses caused by rat urine
PETA sent this “empathy package” to New York City Mayor Eric Adams after he said he “hates rats.” (PETA)
Last month, New York City health officials warned of a rise in bacterial infections spread by rat urine after a record 24 cases were reported in 2023.
The mayor announced that New York City will host the first National Urban Rat Summit, bringing together experts from major cities such as New York City, Boston, New Orleans, and Seattle, to develop a rat eradication plan.
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“We’re making progress, but we’re not stopping there,” Adams said. “The best way to defeat your enemy is to know your enemy. That’s why we held this inaugural summit, bringing together experts and leaders from across the country to discuss urban rats and how to manage their populations. The purpose is to gain a deeper understanding of
On July 7, 2000, rats swarm garbage bags near trash cans in New York City. A study published in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, suggests brown rats were crawling off ships that arrived in the Americas earlier than previously thought. Outcompeting rodent rivals and infuriating and disgusting generations of city dwellers, they became ubiquitous in North American cities and became known as common rats, street rats, or sewer rats. became. (AP)
PETA did not take kindly to these comments.
“Instead of trash-talking rats, Mayor Adams should focus on ridding New York streets of the massive piles of trash that attract rats in the first place,” said PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Lyman. “PETA is calling on Adams to stop demonizing rats for a human-caused problem and address this issue with respect and understanding.”
Introducing New York City’s new “Rat Emperor” mission to suppress the city’s long-running war with the rats
Fox News Digital has reached out to Adams’ office for comment.
WATCH: Mayor Adams talks about rats
Health officials announced last month that six cases of leptospirosis linked to rat urine have been reported in New York City so far.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, leptospirosis can lead to kidney damage, meningitis, liver failure, difficulty breathing, and in extreme cases, death.
Homeless people and those living in shelters and other facilities where large groups of people live in narrow hallways are at higher risk of contracting the disease, and symptoms that can be mistaken for other illnesses The CDC says there is.
New York City suffers from dramatic increase in rat sightings: report
According to the memo, from 2001 to 2023, the Bronx had the highest number of cases at 37, while Manhattan had the highest number of cases at 28. Six deaths were reported during the same period.
New York City officials said they have been focusing on the trash problem for the past 13 months.
A rat crosses a subway platform in Times Square, New York, on January 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
“As New Yorkers know all too well, rats are not only disgusting, they can make your home uninhabitable,” said Adolfo Carrion Jr., commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
“The current administration’s commitment to advancing a ‘waste revolution’ will help us achieve our primary objective of prioritizing the well-being of New Yorkers and protecting tenants and homeowners.”
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The mayor’s office announced that the number of rat sightings called 311 has decreased in 12 of the past 13 months since the administration launched the “Litter Revolution” program.
According to the mayor’s office, the overall rate of decline during the period was 6.3%, or nearly 14% in the city’s rat-free areas.
