In parts of Boston, the city's rat problem has gotten so bad that rats have been chewing through car wiring, leaving some residents with thousands of dollars in repair bills. The situation has led to calls for the city to name a "rat czar" whose sole mission would be addressing the rodent issue.
Here's what to know
According to NBC10 Boston, the city had received more than 6,000 rodent complaints this year. At a city services meeting where the matter was discussed, residents voiced their frustration and called for stronger action from city officials.
Ed Flynn, a Boston city councilor, said that rats were a concern shared by neighborhoods across the city.
"It's impacting almost every neighborhood in the city. It's a public safety, public health and quality of life issue," Flynn said, according to NBC10 Boston.
Whether Boston will create a "rat czar" position remained undecided. Residents advocating for the role pointed to other cities that have assigned one person responsibility for tackling rat infestations.
More background
Back Bay resident Ali Foley told NBC10 Boston that rodent damage has affected more than four cars in the neighborhood, including one vehicle that required roughly $6,000 in repairs.
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"I've bumped into four more neighbors that have had damages to the wiring of their cars from the rodents chewing through," Foley said.
Flynn also added that he had heard about rats entering residents' homes and even jumping into a baby carriage.
What can be done?
Both city leaders and residents agreed that the time for decisive action had come. For Flynn, the city councilor, stronger leadership was needed to address the public health problems residents had described. For Back Bay resident Foley, the time had come for action rather than further information-gathering, although she said city officials had largely been receptive to neighborhood concerns.
"The city's been open to hearing from the neighborhoods. I think we're at a point where we're done with the data collection," Foley explained, per NBC10. "Now, I'm looking to see if we can get the city to actually implement some appreciable changes."
While getting the rat situation under control will require citywide coordination, individual residents also can take steps to help, like keeping garbage in a secure bin and reducing the amount of time that garbage sits outside.
Residents can submit rodent complaints through Boston 311.
Where can I learn more?
Bostonians have hardly been the only city dwellers dealing with rat infestations. The following stories cover other rat-related issues, from Boston's AI efforts to Washington's rat control measures to a feeding controversy in Chicago.
• In England, mechanics seeing more rat-filled cars suggested parking the other way.
• Boston has been building an AI-powered rat dictionary to predict where infestations may strike next.
• In Washington, rat birth control has been working as burrows declined in two neighborhoods.
• A Washington bill could restrict at-home rat poison after 12 children were hospitalized.
• Chicago officials said a billionaire paid workers to scatter 'luxury' nuts, and rats followed.
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