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New York City


PETA CALLS OUT NYC MAYOR FOR 'VILLAINIZING RATS'


NYC HEALTH OFFICIALS SAID THERE WERE AT LEAST 24 CASES OF AN ILLNESS SPREAD BY
RAT URINE AFTER REPORTED IN 2023, THE MOST FOR ANY YEAR.


By Chris Eberhart Fox News
Published May 16, 2024 1:11pm EDT | Updated May 16, 2024 4:29pm EDT
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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) criticized New York City
Mayor Eric Adams for saying he "hates rats," which regularly run through the
subway system and invade buildings in the Big Apple.

The furry rodents often scurry through the subways and rummage through trash on
the streets of the Big Apple, presenting a health risk to the public, according
to NYC health and housing officials. 

However, that is not how the animal rights advocacy group view the rats. Adams
"could apparently use a lesson in showing kindness and respect for all New
Yorkers," PETA wrote.

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The group will be sending Adams an "Empathy Kit" that "offer(s) a step-by-step
guide to cultivating compassion," plus a "Rats Have Rights" mug.

NYC WARNS RECORD NUMBER OF DISEASES CAUSED BY RAT URINE

PETA is sending this "Empathy Package" to New York City Mayor Eric Adams after
he said he "hates rats." (PETA)

City Hall didn't care much for PETA's push that "Rats Have Rights" – or the
unwanted "Empathy Package" – saying, "Our priority remains our city's residents,
not its rodents."

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"Every New Yorker hates rats," a city hall spokesperson told Fox News Digital in
an email. "They’re dirty, diseased, and degrade our quality of life. They also
pose a public health risk to all New Yorkers."

NYC PLAGUED WITH LARGE INCREASE IN RAT SIGHTINGS: REPORT

Last month, New York City health officials issued a warning about the increase
in transmitted bacterial illness spread by rat urine after 24 cases were
reported in 2023, the most for any year. 

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Six cases of leptospirosis connected to rat urine have been reported so far in
New York City, according to city health officials. 

Leptospirosis can lead to kidney damage, meningitis, liver failure, trouble
breathing and, in extreme cases, death, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. 

Rats swarm around a bag of garbage near a dumpster in New York on July 7, 2000.
A study published Wednesday, April 3, 2024, in the journal Science Advances
suggests that brown rats crawled off ships arriving in the Americas earlier than
previously thought and out-competed rodent rivals, infuriating and disgusting
generations of city-dwellers and becoming so ubiquitous in North American cities
that they are known as common rats, street rats or sewer rats. (AP)

The homeless population or people living in shelters or other facilities where
large clusters of people live in tight corridors are at a higher risk of
contracting the disease, which has symptoms that can be mistaken for other
illnesses, the CDC says. 

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From 2001 to 2023, the Bronx had the most cases with 37, while Manhattan had 28,
the memo said. Six deaths were reported in the same time period.

NYC MAYOR SAYS RAT INFESTATIONS PART OF WHY PEOPLE LEAVING THE BIG APPLE

With potential health threats posed by rats, the city is 13 months into "the war
on rats so we can ultimately make progress and rid our city of these filthy
rodents," the city hall spokesperson said.

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"While we hope to utilize these techniques without causing additional suffering,
our priority remains our city’s residents, not its rodents."

New York Mayor Eric Adams speaks to family members of fallen NYPD Officers while
attending the NYPD Memorial Day Ceremony where new names were added to the
Memorial Wall located in the lobby of the headquarters.  (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY
Daily News via Getty Images)

Adams made the "hate rates" comments during Wednesday's announcement that the
Big Apple will host an inaugural "national urban rat summit," which will bring
experts from major cities, including Boston, New Orleans and Seattle, to devise
a rat mitigation plan. 

But PETA did not take kindly to these comments, and quickly went on the
offensive with a passive-aggressive attack on the mayor. 

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"Instead of trash-talking rats, Mayor Adams should focus on clearing New York’s
streets of the massive heaps of garbage attracting them in the first place,"
PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said. "PETA is calling on Adams to
stop villainizing rats for a problem created by humans and to address this issue
with respect and understanding."

A rat crosses a Times Square subway platform in New York on Jan. 27, 2015. (AP
Photo/Richard Drew, File)

WATCH: MAYOR ADAMS TALK ABOUT RATS



New York City officials said they have been focused on the trash problem over
the last 13 months. 

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"As New Yorkers know too well, rats aren’t just gross, they can make your home
unlivable," said Adolfo Carrión Jr., New York City's commissioner of the
Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

"This administration's commitment to advancing the 'Trash Revolution' will help
us accomplish our number one objective: to prioritize the well-being of New
Yorkers and protect tenants and homeowners." 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

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The mayor's office said rat sightings reported to 311 have declined in 12 of the
last 13 months since the administration began its "Trash Revolution" program.

The total decrease across the covered period was 6.3% and almost 14% in the
city’s Rat Mitigation Zones, the mayor's office said. 

Chris Eberhart is a crime and US news reporter for Fox News Digital. Email tips
to chris.eberhart@fox.com or on Twitter @ChrisEberhart48.


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