Last December, Mayor Eric Adams looked to recruit a 'rat czar' to lead the city's long-running battle against rats with the title of 'director of rodent mitigation' The Big Apple js now so full of vermin that rats have become a part of tourists' must-see attractions. A form of 'rat tourism' is now on the itineraries of visitors to New York City and there is no shortage of venues, with everything from Times Square to Central Park and the city's subway system all fair game for a bizarre type of rat safari. The rat infestation has become so bad that last year the city's mayor Eric Adams appointed a 'rat czar' with the official title of 'director of rodent mitigation' - but things don't seem to have improved with the rodents continuing to thrive. One TikTok creator, Kenny Bollwerk, has built up a substantial following of 234,000 users focusing on the most 'rattractive' places for tourists to visit after he began live-streaming rats running around outside a building site in Queens. He has now posted a number of videos with the focus squarely on the furry creatures that are continuing to run their own rat race in the nation's most populous city. Rat tourism has become an unexpected phenomenon in New York City with some of the most popular spots being livestreamed on TikTok Some tourists are now looking for rat-related experiences with tour guides have including stops at notoriously infested locations @nyc_kb Rat Tok: S3 Fishing for Rats. We found a new tool for the war on rats. #fishingpoles #waronrats #nycrats #whatisnewyork #onlyinnewyork ♬ original sound - nyc_kb 'I was like: 'Damn, this is bad. People are walking by, there's rats running across people's feet, there's piles of trash on the sidewalk,' he told The Guardian. He urged viewers to file complaints with the city's 311 service, dedicated to handling rat infestations - and in some cases his efforts paid off. 'We had probably 100 complaints in one night in this one spot, and the city ended up coming by and getting rid of the rats at the construction site.' Although Bollwerk, 36, was not fond of the creatures initially, he has been spurred on by the thousands of viewers who are fully fledged rat enthusiasts. 'I'm scared of them. Any time one comes running at me I jump. I don't want them anywhere near me,' Bollwerk said. @nyc_kb Season 2 replay at rattok🐀. Last night was a good one. #newyorkrats #nycrats #nycrattok ♬ original sound - nyc_kb TikTok creator Kenny Bollwerk, 36, was not fond of the creatures initially but has been spurred on by his thousands of viewers who are rat enthusiasts and enjoy his livestreams Bollwerk also believes his short films will ultimately help residents living in rat infested neighborhoods as he urges viewers to call the city for them to tackle the problem Tourists are now accompanying Bollwerk as he finds places to film the rats @nyc_kb Rats love to chew on wires and nest in our cars at night. Check out @Infinity Shields to keep the rats away! #infinityshields #peppermintspray #cartips #automotive #garbage ♬ John Wick - Ganger Baster His viewers have served to both advise him where to go next to livestream the rats scuttling around, while some have even joined him on his tours around the city. 'I've had a daughter and father, and a husband and wife come with me. Anything you can think of: business owners have come out looking with me. There've been people from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania; St Louis, Missouri; Oklahoma City; Vancouver, Canada; Los Angeles. It's crazy how much this brings people together,' Bollwerk explained. Initially he began heading out and about between three and five times a week. There is no shortage of locations where city rats can be found. The rodents are able to squeeze themselves under fences and through sidewalk cracks. Outside restaurants where garbage can often be be piled several feet high rats can be find while outdoor dining sheds also provide refuge. Far from the rats simply providing entertainment, Bollwerk believes his short films will ultimately help residents living in rat infested neighborhoods. A rat scavenges for food on a sidewalk on 23rd Street near 6th Avenue in NYC last month A rat climbs out of a box with food in it at on the platform at the Herald Square subway station A rat sticks its head out of a garbage can as it hunts for food in Bogardus Plaza in Tribeca Last month New York City's 'rat czar' Kathleen Corradi found a lot of supporters for the city's attempts to clear the streets of the vermin as the Big Apple celebrated its first-ever 'anti-rat day of action.' @nyc_kb Mice take over Hudson News store inside Grand Central. Imagine all the people who purchased food from this store. #nypost #newsattiktok #grandcentral #micetok #rattok #nycrats ♬ Suspense, horror, piano and music box - takaya 'The fact that it's bringing awareness to an issue, and it's helping people in their neighborhoods - I think that's why I keep going out and doing it. And I'm meeting so many cool people through it that I would have never met,' he said. New York City leaders have been trying to control the rodent population for generations with mixed results, but sightings of rats in parks, sidewalks and other places in the city have increased with things only getting steadily worse since the pandemic. Under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, rats survived a multimillion-dollar effort that aimed to reduce their numbers with more garbage pickups and better housing inspections in targeted neighborhoods. The city even launched a program to use dry ice to suffocate rats in their hiding spots - but still the rats remain. City officials insist they are winning in the war against rats with Kathleen Corradi designated the city's rat czar. In June, the mayor's office even reported a 15 percent drop in rat sightings compared to 2022. The rats know that the garbage bins are a haven for discard food It's no uncommon to see rats jumping into open garbage cans on the city's streets The city also 'celebrated' the anti-rat day of action by launching an 'Interactive Rat Map' on the city's website The mayor introduced a 'rat mitigation zone' in Harlem earlier this year which would see $3.5million invested into ridding the neighborhood of rodents In areas where rats are known to frequent, 'rat mitigation zones' have been designated where officials come in with rat poison while fining businesses or home owners if they are doing anything that might be encouraging rats to thrive. Restaurants have also been told to put all food waste into containers rather than directly into garbage bags in the hope the additional barrier will make life harder for the rodents. The city also launched its first 'Interactive Rat Map' with the Upper East Side, Upper West Side and Harlem showing the most 'rat-tivity' in Manhattan, while Greenwich Village, the East Village, SoHo and Lower East showed some of the least. 'New York City used to be known for our mean streets, but, going forward, we're going to be known for our clean streets,' Adams promised at the start of summer. Time will tell if Adams is able to fulfill his promise - but for now, the rats rule.
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