Rats are taking over Central Park's playgrounds and parents are anything but thrilled. The furry pests aren't the shy, scurrying kind; these rodents are bold, known to forage through strollers for treats and play a game of chicken with the feet of anyone who dares to stand still too long. According to one local parent, Robert Hart, these rats have even made their way into strollers which is, in his words, "gross." And Katie Garnovsky, another Central Park-goer, added, "Very close to our feet, and very close to our bags. Disgusting," reports ABC7NY.
These rodents have become such an integral, unwelcome part of the playground scene that some children now refer to it as "the rat playground," as per a mother's statement to ABC7NY. They come prepared with water guns, which might sound adorable if it weren't a small, stark symbol of a larger urban problem. A proposed solution by mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, as noted by ABC7NY, is to employ feral cats to scare off the rats, positioning these felines as unoffical, whiskered vigilantes of New York's green spaces. Meanwhile, there has been a 17 percent drop in rat sightings from last year, the city reports, attributing the improvement to enhanced trash disposal methods. However, this decrease in sightings doesn't seem to translate to the playground battlegrounds, where the problem persists.
According to a report by the New York Post, it's not just snacks that are at risk. Parents have raised concerns about potential health hazards, as the vermin are potential disease carriers. A mother, Sofia Genes, expressed her anxieties about contamination, worrying about the dangerous implications if rat feces or urine were to end up in children's sandbox areas. Mayor Adams has made strides to address the issue citywide by appointing a 'Rat Czar' and establishing a rat extermination team, but parents like Lauren, a concerned mom of two, feel that these measures fall short on their turf. Rat sightings may be generally down across Manhattan, but this does not allay the fears of the families frequenting the West 67th Street playground.
Despite the city's efforts, the sense of security that one should feel in a children's playground has eroded for many caretakers and parents. As Amy Meyers, an Upper West Side mom, told the New York Post, "It’s disgusting. I’m actually quite nervous for my child to be playing here, because rats carry diseases and whatnot." Joann Ariola, a City Councilwoman from Queens, echoed the sentiment of frustration and dread to the Post, stating, "Everything is getting progressively worse."
