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Mayor Eric Adams has hired a Rat Czar and introduced a Rat Academy on Thursday to help teach residents safe and effective ways to get rid of pests.
Rat sightings are up so far this year with nearly 7,900 complaints across the five boroughs.
Manhattan Valley, Ridgewood and Bushwick top the lists with the most rat sightings.
Adams, a vocal rat opponent, has made fighting the rodents a priority for City Hall, and was fined for a rat infestation at one of his Brooklyn properties, according to a copy of a health code violation and a spokesperson for the mayor.
Adam's spoke at the Rat Academy saying, "Rodents should not be in our homes, running across our yards or biting our children. This is health safety problem."
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Flor Sanchez, a Bronx resident, came to learn but has also been handling the problem by using self made traps.
"I'm concerned because I live on the block for so many years and I hate these rats and I know eventually they might get into my building and I'm trying to calm the situation down by putting cages and grabbing them," Sanchez said.
Residents are advised to maintain garbage and work with their landlords, qualified pest control professionals and use safe pest control methods to continue to help tackle this problem.
New sanitation guidelines that require residents to put trash out later in the day go into effect April 1.
ALSO READ | New York City Council passes Rat Action Plan, stepping up war on rodents
NYC Council passes Rat Action Plan, stepping up war on rodents
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