Animal control officials say that a home in New York has been condemned, and its owner arrested. ABC News reports that the residence has been “completely overrun by hundreds of rats that were kept as pets.”
ABC reports that could be anywhere from 300 to 500 rats inside the home, with hundreds possibly in the walls.
Rats in and around the New York City metropolitan area are nothing new, though their numbers continue to increase. In 2024, PIX11 had reported that Terminix rated New York City as the most rat-infested city in the U.S.
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A densely populated city with all the curbside garbage disposal from its residents, and restaurants have long contributed to the problem. Fortune says that poor garbage management has only made it worse, particularly since the height of COVID. .
House in New York Condemned As Hundreds of Rats Found Inside
ABC New York reports that Rocky Point home has been condemned, and its 48-year-old owner arrested after animal rescue volunteers found hundreds of rats running loose inside the residence.
The Strong Island Animal Rescue described the gruesome condition inside, with many of rats facing serious health issues and injuries.
Veterinarian tech, Kristin Stephens, told ABC: “everybody knows rodents reproduce very quickly. I personally feel that if they were separated, if you keep the males with the males and the females with the females, none of this could have occurred.”
Animal rescue volunteers told ABC that they are now looking for “good Samaritans” to help offer foster care, and to “give monetary donations for the rodents’ healthcare.”
New York State Is Crawling With Rats, 6 Cities Among Most Infested