Rats are a new tourist attraction in New York. (archive image)
Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
A plague of rats is sweeping New York—and that’s exactly what’s now a new tourist attraction in the Big Apple. Visitors are guided on tours to the rodent hotspots.
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There is a plague of rats in New York, which is now becoming a tourist attraction. City guides take their guests to the rat hotspots at night. Meanwhile, the fight against the rats continues.
Whether the Statue of Liberty, Times Square or the Empire State Building: New York is known to have a lot of sights to offer. Now the Big Apple has got one more, well: attraction, richer: rats! While the world metropolis is struggling with a huge plague of rats, a bizarre kind of tourism is developing around the otherwise unwelcome rodents.
So the plague that prompted the mayor to look for a “bloodthirsty” pied piper last December seems to be becoming a magnet for visitors. Like the ones, among others «New York Post» and the «Guardian» report, more and more city guides are taking their guests to places that are particularly infested with rats. And the tourists love it.
The New York tourists are looking for the “authentic experience” on late-night tours, writes the “Post”. “They are the new stars of New York, with all the press they get,” the newspaper quoted a city guide as saying. They are “the new mascots” of the city, says Kenny Bollwerk, who was interviewed by both newspapers as a rat guide.
Huge interest
Bollwerk, who actually rose to fame with TikTok videos of New York life, became an expert on rat hotspots by accident. When he posted a live stream of rat activity at a construction project in Queens on his channel, interest was huge. Over 10,000 people watched. Although Bollwerk hates rats himself, he quickly became the go-to place for rat enthusiasts from around the world.
“From business owners to tourists from cities like Pittsburgh or even Vancouver, it’s amazing how these little rodents bring people together,” the Guardian quoted Bollwerk as saying.
But for Bollwerk it is more than just an unusual hobby. He also sees it as an opportunity to draw attention to the rat problem and to help the affected parts of the city. “It’s about raising awareness and helping people. And I meet incredibly interesting people, »he tells the British newspaper.
Fight against the rats
To get the problem under control, the city of New York finally appointed its “rat czar” in April: Kathleen Corradi. Under her leadership, June rat sightings fell 15 percent from a year earlier. In addition, special “rat control zones” have been set up and stricter rules for restaurants with regard to food waste have been issued.
«New York was once known for its rough streets. In the future, however, we want to be known for our clean streets,” announced Mayor Eric Adams in June. And yet: Despite the city’s efforts, the rats remain a present problem – and thus at the same time another tourist attraction of the world metropolis.
2023-09-04 22:03:25
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