Opinion The Third Edit: Prepare for the Rat-mageddon

An asteroid with a 1.3 per cent chance of hitting Earth in 2032. Sci-fi fears of an AI apocalypse. But for the real menace of these times, check under the sofa. Rats — lots and lots of rats. Think The Birds, not Armageddon. A group of researchers have used public rat sighting and inspection data from 16 cities — mostly in the US, but also including Toronto, Amsterdam and Tokyo — over a period of between seven and 17 years to see how the numbers had changed. The result: 11 of those cities saw significant increases in the rat population.

Human population density and loss of vegetation correlated positively with multiplying rodents. More food waste and more holes to scurry into make for a happy and healthy rat population. But the strongest correlation was found with rising temperatures amid global warming, an issue that’s exacerbated in cities due to the urban heat island effect. When it’s warmer, rats have lower mortality, can stay above ground and forage for longer, and are more fertile. The collective noun for these pesky home invaders is a “mischief” of rats, and what mischief they can wreak, from carrying diseases to contaminating food and damaging infrastructure. That’s not to mention, as the study says, the mental toll it takes on the people who have to put up with them.

Advertisement

But don’t reach for the rat poison just yet. For one thing, the study found that trying to get rid of rats that are already there is much less effective than methods of making cities less hospitable to them. What is needed is modern waste management practices, building regulations, and more resources for public education and surveillance. There’s a host of things that can and should be done at the municipal level, including in India; although there’s no data from the country, the same conditions apply. In the meantime, hunker down, rodent-proof your houses and prepare for Ratmageddon. Not with a bang but with a squeak.