ScienceRat populations in cities are booming as the planet...

Rat populations in cities are booming as the planet warms up


Rat populations in cities are booming as the planet warms up

Rat sightings are on the rise in New York City

Fatih Aktas/Anadolu/Getty Images

It has long been predicted that many pest species will thrive as the planet warms – and now a study of 16 major cities has found that rat populations are growing fastest in areas where average temperatures are rising quickest.

It is extremely difficult to estimate the number of rats in a city, so Jonathan Richardson at the University of Richmond in Virginia and his colleagues didn’t attempt this. Instead, they got a sense of how populations are changing by looking at the number of complaints about rats recorded by cities.

In the US, this information is often publicly available and the team was also able to get data for a few places outside the US by contacting city officials. The researchers only included cities in their study if at least seven years of data was available and the methods for collecting it hadn’t changed. That left them with data for 13 US cities, as well as Tokyo, Amsterdam and Toronto.

Their analysis suggests rat numbers are declining in New Orleans, Louisville in Kentucky and Tokyo, are stable in Dallas and St Louis, and are rising in the other 11 cities, with the fastest growth in Washington DC, San Francisco, Toronto, New York and Amsterdam.

Richardson and his colleagues then looked at several factors that might explain the trends. They found the strongest link was with the average temperature increase over the past century. The next strongest link was with urbanisation, assessed from satellite photos, followed by human population density. The city’s GDP did not show a link with rat trends.

It is known that in colder cities, rat numbers fall during the winter and peak in summer, so it makes sense that rising temperatures are leading to rising populations, the researchers say. More rats mean a greater risk of people getting rat-borne diseases, such as leptospirosis, also known as Weil’s disease.

The findings show that cities need to do more to control rat populations as the planet warms, and cutting off their food supply is the single most important measure, says Richardson.

“Securing food waste and making it inaccessible to rats is the approach that will have the biggest impact on controlling rats,” he says. “We’re seeing New York City pilot that in certain neighbourhoods – finally – and it’s putting a measurable dent in the rat numbers.”

Topics:



Original Source Link

Latest News

How much does a Super Bowl commercial cost in 2025?

‘Fast Company’ senior editor Jeff Beer breaks down the price of what a Super Bowl campaign actually costs....

Is Dogecoin Hugely Undervalued? Analyst Says ‘Now Is The Time’

Este artículo también está disponible en español. A newly released video analysis by crypto commentator asif.eth (@asifeth) makes the...

Donald Trump says Nippon Steel has dropped plan to buy US Steel

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for freeYour guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington...

PlayStation Network is down | The Verge

PlayStation Network (PSN) is experiencing some major problems as of Friday evening. According to Sony’s PSN status page,...

“The Digital Fourth Amendment,” Now Shipping

I'm pleased to say that my new book, The Digital Fourth Amendment, is now available for shipping at...

Must Read

Crypto Market Enters Step 2 Of Benjamin Cowen’s Guide For 2025, What’s Next On The List?

Este artículo también está disponible en español. According to...

Donald Trump’s 72 hours of tariff chaos signals high stakes second term

On Monday afternoon, Donald Trump was holding court...
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you