BED-STUY, NY — Bed-Stuy rat sightings have dropped 10.5 percent since last year — a potential sign that the humans are winning the “war on rats.”
Brooklynites reported 380 rat sightings in May, June and July in Community Board 3 — a decent decrease from the 425 squeaky encounters over the same period last year, 311 data show.
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All 311 rodent calls, including mouse sightings and signs of rodents, decreased by 4.6 percent over the same period in Community Board 3.
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But the numbers weren’t all good. Rat sightings have increased every month since March. By June, sightings had increased by 37 percent — July shows little promise of relief. Bed-Stuy residents had already reported seeing 115 rats by Thursday.
Bed-Stuy has long been considered one of New York City’s rattiest neighborhoods and was targeted as a focal point in Mayor Eric Adams’ epic battle against New York City’s rodents.
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On Tuesday, Adams announced that the city’s rat mitigation zone had seen a 45 percent decrease rat sightings over the last two months, as compared to last year. Across New York City, 311 calls about rats decreased by 20 percent, city officials said.
“It’s still early, but these numbers show what we’re doing is working and that we are moving in the right direction,” Adams said. “It takes all of us to win the war on rats.”
Authorities attributed some of the success to new trash set-out times and collection schedules.
“The frontline of our war on rats is at the all-you-can-eat buffet of black trash bags, and thanks to hard work across this administration, we’re cutting that buffet off,” said Kathleen Corradi, Director of Citywide Rodent Mitigation.
“We put New York City’s rats on a historically aggressive fasting diet,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi.
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