YouTube Video Jokingly Documents Rat Infestation At Tompkins Square Park
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - They may not be popular, but they apparently have a pretty good agent handling their publicity.
Back in July, rats were reported to be overrunning Tompkins Square Park. The reason? City officials stopped putting down poison in order to protect a red-tailed hawk that lives there. Officials are concerned if the hawk ate a poisoned rat, it would die too.
The Parks Department said it took some measures to curtail the population, including putting out special garbage cans that prevent rats from getting in. They've covered many of the rat holes with wood chips.
One YouTube user however has gone to dramatic new lengths to document the trouble in the park. He created a horror movie-like video depicting the vivacious vermin vectoring voraciously.
"Infestation? Or invasion?" read the titles in the film as menacing music mournfully mounts in an increasing audio assault.
It's just the latest in a recent series of complaints about the robust, repulsive rodents running rampant.
Just last week, Brooklyn residents complained bitterly about the explosion of the rat population around the Atlantic Yards dig site.
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer recently called for the city to step up efforts to fight the vermin.
"This issue should be taken off the budget table because this is about the health and welfare of our city, of our children and of our elderly," Stringer said.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended the city's efforts to control the rat population.
"In the areas where we focused our efforts, I think the number of rats are down like a third, which is amazing progress," Bloomberg said.
Back in January, a YouTube user captured a horrific video of a rat scurrying up a sleeping man's leg and face aboard a subway train.
Is the city doing enough to curb the rat population? Or should people just accept the condition as part of city living? Sound off in our comments section.
