Ratatouille: Parisians left with no option but to 'co-exist' with rats

Paris’s city administration is reportedly looking to establish a committee to explore the possibility of peaceful coexistence between citizens and rats, instead of attempting to eradicate the rodents.

According to reports, Deputy Mayor for Public Health, Anne Souyris, during a Council of Paris meeting on Thursday stated, “At the direction of the mayor, we have made the decision to create a committee to address the issue of cohabitation.”

This newly announced policy marks a significant departure from previous measures taken in Paris to combat the city’s estimated six million rats.

The anti-rat plan implemented in 2017 allocated $1.8 million towards various anti-rodent initiatives, including the installation of airtight trash bins and the extensive use of rat poison at numerous locations throughout the city.

The rat issue is believed to have worsened due to the prolonged protests related to pension reforms in Paris, resulting in uncollected waste accumulating on the streets for weeks.

Considering that the rat population in Paris still outnumbers its human inhabitants by a ratio of approximately 3:1, alternative approaches are now being contemplated. Souyris mentioned that the committee will determine the most effective method for Parisians and rats to coexist in a manner that is “tolerable” for the city’s residents.

However, critics argue that the plan is essentially an admission of defeat in addressing the rodent issue. Geoffroy Boulard, a politician who frequently raises concerns about the “proliferation of rats” in the city, tweeted, “Anne Hidalgo’s team never disappoints,” and expressed that Paris deserves better.

On the other hand, some animal rights groups are more supportive of the new approach. Paris Animal Zoopolis stated that previous methods of rodent control were both ineffective and cruel, emphasizing the necessity of implementing new strategies.

Paris has a long history of grappling with vermin-related challenges. Rats were primarily responsible for the spread of the bubonic plague, which claimed the lives of half of the city’s population during the 14th century. However, these animals also played a role in helping citizens survive the 1870-71 Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian war by preventing starvation.

Paris is not the only city seeking innovative methods to address longstanding issues like rat infestations. New York recently appointed its first “rat czar” in April to tackle its own rodent problems, while the city of Toulouse in France has employed ferrets to assist in controlling the rat population.

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