New York is waging a war on multiple fronts to combat the near ubiquitous rats that plague city streets and the subways, leaving some residents afraid to let their children walk on sidewalks.

Faced with an overwhelming and ever-growing problem, officials have moved beyond gassing burrows to suffocate rodents and are now using high-tech mapping tools to try and sterilize the population.

Alongside targeted interventions, officials are mounting an effort to educate the public about the need to avoid leaving behind food waste that feeds and sustains the rat population.

Caroline Bragdon, director of neighborhood interventions for Pest Control Services within New York City’s Department of Health, told AFP that the lack of food “stresses” rats and other vermin.

“Perhaps this forces them to go

See Full Page