New York City's freezing temperatures are causing a decline in rat activity and reproduction, according to 'rat czar' Kathleen Corradi. The extreme cold has created conditions that stress the rats, forcing them into their burrows and limiting their access to food, as fewer people are outside to discard waste. This combination may help reduce the rat population ahead of spring and summer, when breeding typically increases. Ecology professor Jason Munshi-South notes that severe cold can lead to starvation among rats, further controlling their numbers.
"It's stressing out rats. It's putting them in their burrows," the city's 'rat czar' Kathleen Corradi told the Associated Press.
"Harsh winters like we are having so far will keep the rat population at a lower level if we have sustained cold, freezing periods." Jason Munshi-South, an ecology professor.
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