Health
Paris is Dealing With A Serious Rat Infestation Problem
This is in no way as cool as Pizza Rat.
Paris has found itself in the midst of an infestation. Of rats. While all large cities — and most smaller ones — are home to a certain number of the rodents, the rat population on the banks of the Seine seems to have reached frightening levels.
Caused partially by the Seine’s record high flooding and partially by an apparent immunity to poison, the rats have come to the surface and multiplied. Hordes of them have been seen in parks causing portions of those parks to be closed to the public and horrified waste collectors have opened dumpsters to find them full, not of garbage, but of rats.
Experts hypothesize that there are about two rats in the city per every Parisian, equivalent to about 4.4 million rats in the inner city alone–each rat the potential host of upwards of a dozen parasites.
Steps have been taken to reduce these numbers, including cordoning off certain areas and using various poisoning methods, but none seem to have taken hold.
As of now, the famous City of Lights offers both romance…and many, many rodents.
🆘‼😱🐭 #France: the current state of #Paris. A garbage man explains that a rat jumped on his neck. At the moment, the Seine has a lot of high water, and when the water level drops, many more rats will appear. via @PorteTonAme pic.twitter.com/cNJU7vkUW8
— Onlinemagazin (@OnlineMagazin) January 21, 2018
OK, that was disgusting. Makes you wish for the old days when we had wholesome rodents like Pizza Rat:
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