NYC Mayor Eric Adams announces Urban Rat Summit to combat rodent crisis: 'I hate rats'

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NYC Mayor blames rats, along with COVID-19 and the cost of living, for why people are leaving the Big Apple

In a press conference on Thursday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that they are working on getting rid of the rats that have infested the Big Apple.

In a continued effort to contain New York City's rat problem, Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday the inaugural National Urban Rat Summit.

The summit, which will take place on Sept. 18 and 19, will gather the best in the rat business from Boston, New Orleans and Seattle to mitigate the spiraling rodent problem in the Big Apple, Adam's announced in a press release Wednesday.

The Democratic mayor said that he "hates rats" and the "best way to defeat our enemy is to know our enemy."

"New Yorkers may not know this about me, but I hate rats, and I'm confident most of our city's residents do as well," Adams said. "With rat sightings down nearly 14% in our city's Rat Mitigation Zones year over year, we continue to make progress, but we're not stopping there. The best way to defeat our enemy is to know our enemy. That's why we're holding this inaugural summit."

NYC MAYOR BLAMES, IN PART, RAT INFESTATION ON WHY PEOPLE ARE LEAVING THE BIG APPLE

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that he "hates rats." (Getty Images)

New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) Commissioner Sue Donoghue said that New York City is "laser focused" on containing and mitigating rats.

"New York City is laser-focused on rat control and we’re grateful to Mayor Adams and Cornell University for spearheading this summit that will advance best practices and allow cities from across the nation to collaborate on ways to keep rats on the run," Donoghue said.

A rat crosses a Times Square subway platform. New York City health officials have issued a warning about the increase in transmitted bacterial illness spread by rat urine. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Citywide Director of Rodent Mitigation Kathleen Corradi said that New York City is "proud" to host the inaugural event. 

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"Despite being our closest urban counterparts, there is surprisingly limited research on urban rats and their management," Corradi said. "New York City is a vanguard in municipal rat management and continues to drive citywide mitigation efforts using science and data. We are proud to host the National Urban Rat Summit as a dedicated step to deepening understanding and building better sustainable management." 

A rat runs along the High Line Park on September 22, 2018, in New York City ( Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

Adams' spearheading the Urban Rat Summit came after his continued fight with the city's rodent population.

With potential health threats posed by rats, the city is 13 months into "the war on rats so we can ultimately make progress and rid our city of these filthy rodents," a city hall spokesperson previously said.

"While we hope to utilize these techniques without causing additional suffering, our priority remains our city’s residents, not its rodents."

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Last month, New York City health officials issued a warning about the increase in transmitted bacterial illness spread by rat urine after 24 cases were reported in 2023, the most for any year. 

Six cases of leptospirosis connected to rat urine have been reported so far in New York City, according to city health officials. 

Leptospirosis can lead to kidney damage, meningitis, liver failure, trouble breathing and, in extreme cases, death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Mayor Eric Adams at New York City Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 17, in Manhattan, New York.  (Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

The homeless population or people living in shelters or other facilities where large clusters of people live in tight corridors are at a higher risk of contracting the disease, which has symptoms that can be mistaken for other illnesses, the CDC says. 

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From 2001 to 2023, the Bronx had the most cases with 37, while Manhattan had 28, the memo said. Six deaths were reported in the same time period.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Mayor Eric Adams' office for comment.