New York appoints 'rat czar' for 'wholesale slaughter' of rodents

New York has appointed its first "rat czar", tasked with cracking down on one of the more unappealing aspects of life in the Big Apple.

Mayor Eric Adams introduced Kathleen Corradi, a former elementary school teacher and anti-rat activist, as his new "rat czar" on Wednesday. 

Corradi is tasked with battling the potentially millions of rats lurking in myriad urban nooks and crannies, subway tunnels and empty lots.

Hers is a new job, which the city advertised with a help-wanted ad seeking applicants who are "bloodthirsty," possess "killer instincts" and could commit to the "wholesale slaughter" of rats.

"You’ll be seeing a lot of me and a lot less rats," Corradi vowed.

Rats have long bedeviled the city, a top public concern along with crime, homelessness and exorbitant rents.

Neither traps nor poisonous bait have fully succeeded in reducing their numbers.

"Rats are smart, they are resilient," said Adams, a Democrat. "Many of us live in communities where rats think they run the city."

Over the past year, residents have called in almost 3.2 million rat sightings to the city's 311 service request line, just shy of the record number of complaints in 2021.

"Rats have proven to be one of the most formidable opponents that humans have faced. Here in New York City, we're locked in a constant battle," said Council member Erik Bottcher, whose district includes Times Square.

READ MORE: New York seeks bureaucrat to lead 'wholesale slaughter' of legendary rats

Paris' soft stance

New York City's approach is in contrast to some efforts by animal-rights advocates in Paris, where there could be more rats than its 2.2 million people, perhaps twice as many, according to some estimates.

A strike by garbage workers left some streets teeming with rats.

The animal rights group Paris Animaux Zoopolis has been trying to convince Parisians that "rats are not our enemies!"

Adams thinks otherwise.

As Brooklyn borough president, he once showed reporters a bucket filled with a toxic soup meant to drown rats.

"There were people that were yelling, you know, 'Oh you murderer. You murderer!'" the mayor said. "You know, we can’t be philosophical about things that impact the quality of life of New Yorkers."

And he's had trouble controlling them even outside the Brooklyn townhouse he owns — something he mentioned in jest on Wednesday.

Corradi's first task will be to launch a "rat mitigation zone" in Harlem, where the city will invest $3.5 million to roll out "an accelerated rat reduction plan" deploying 19 full-time and 14 seasonal employees to combat rats. 

Besides the "ick," factor, rats can spread disease like leptospirosis. On rare occasions, the ailment can lead to meningitis and cause the kidneys and liver to fail.

Corradi said her job will be to combat rats by taking away their food sources — often garbage and food scraps.

History of failures

It's not the first time a New York mayor has appointed a rat czar.

Rudy Giuliani anointed one of his deputy mayors to handle the job — although Corradi will be the city's first director of rodent mitigation.

During his time in office, Giuliani established a task force, which spawned a boot camp called the "rodent academy" that still produces cadres of foot soldiers hoping to vanquish the city's army of rats.

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio budgeted more than $30 million in his own failed bid to conquer rats. 

"Everyone tried," Adams said, acknowledging the city's noble efforts — and ultimate failures.

"We needed someone that was going to put all the pieces together and all the players together to coordinate this entire symphony of fighters. We needed a maestro."