Despite all of our best efforts to dislodge them, rats have made a home on the Upper West Side. And one of their favorite nesting spots is the playground.
The Little Engine playground on Riverside Boulevard and 68th street, which has had problems in the past, is now infested, one parent tells us:
“Sunday evening and Tuesday late afternoon – rats were spotted at the Train Park. Today, I only saw approximately 10 – but sunday there were lots more…My doorman said other parents at the playground estimated there to be 50+ rats. This is somewhere our kids play on a daily basis. HELP get this rat problem under control in our kids parks.”
The West Side Rag would be happy to help, but it would take all of our columnists plus the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to take on 50+ rats. The city parks department hasn’t responded to our inquiry. Perhaps they are also afraid of 50+ rats?
Update: Here’s the parks department’s response: “We were very successful last year removing rats from the playground and we will be implementing similar techniques this year. We have added new traps and garbage cans that make it more difficult for the rats to find a food source. We have also partnered with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) on a pilot program to ward off rats by stopping them from burrowing. We’d like to stress to anyone using the playground how important it is to dispose of any food properly in the trash cans.”
See our previous report on the “gangs” of rats that had taken over River-Run playground in Riverside Park.
Thanks to our tipster/photographer.
Gale Brewer and CB7 have been sponsoring very informative Rat Academies. The way buildings near the park handle their trash, as well as the way the children handle theirs, can contribute to the problem. I strongly suggest that you contact one of these offices for the next rat academy or read the summary at https://www.w102-103blockassn.org/
Unfortunately the Bloomberg Administration has cut the NYC budget for critical sanitation operations (garbage is overflowing throughout Manhattan) and rodent control in favor of his priorities such as expanding the testing apparatus/contracts for public schools or litigating the big soda ban etc.
Do the rats on “Riverside Boulevard” use the Rich Door or the Poor Door??
Rat academy is a joke. Trash handling, kids with food, and water supply is the same as last year and prior years, yet the problem is exponentially worse. Put the poison back in the park and tell the bird lovers to go upstate if they want to see a hawk. The Playgrounds on the UWS are overrun with rats, the walking/running paths through Riverside park are overrun with rats and it is the worst I have seen in 15 years. Multiple rats during the middle of the day everywhere. It is gross and going to cause a health problem in the city. But wait- dogs have more rights in city parks than people so what am I thinking? Once someone’s precious pooch gets bit, then the rat issue will be deemed a real problem.
Re: #1’s “Gale Brewer and CB7 have been sponsoring very informative Rat Academies….,”
RAT ACADEMIES !!!! OH, GOODY! WHERE DO I SIGN UP?
As for that depressingly boring “Little Engine Train Park” (call it ‘The Little Engine That COULDN’T … Keep Us Rats Away’) we in the rodent population would also like to register a complaint.
Since we work the night shift, we find it very difficult to get much-needed daytime sleep what with the continual shrieking of those entitled little Riverside Boulevard Brats whose nannies are too busy yammering at each other to keep an eye on the Lil’
Darlings.
Nannies, shush your charges. Us rats need our sleep! And PLEASE STOP with the organic snackies. Do you know how tasteless those dropped organic snax are? Feh!!
rotfl rat a tooey — i was just going to comment that your compadres at little engine seem to be expanding their hours of operation. I walk my dogs past there at least 2x a day in broad daylight and see rats of all sizes chilling on the benches and edges of the trash cans like they own the place… which sounds like it may be the case.
Moreover, I have also seen nannies, mums and dads playing with kids amidst the rattage with utter aplomb. It’s almost as if a mutualistic detente has been reached.
We used to shudder and euphemistically call the rats “night squirrels”… no longer! To stay ahead in the global era you really need to operate 24/7 — these rats must have learned that from their brethren on wall street.
Re: “…these rats must have learned that from their brethren on wall street.”
O.M.G., NO!! Even the worst-groomed ill-mannered rat finds Wall Street and banks really slimy-disgusting! We try to avoid them completely. We DO have our standards, ya know!
Re: “I have also seen nannies, mums and dads playing with kids amidst the rattage with utter aplomb.”
Well they shouldn’t be playing with aplomb but instead eating it. Us rats love aplomb…also a cherry, a pear, even a banana.
Which reminds me of that great writing by the philosopher Marx…Groucho, not Karl. He wrote “Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.”
They also like aplomb, especially if it’s all soft and runny.
whole area from 61st to 72nd on Riverside boulevard is a Rat-Central.
Massive problem next to the building site.
love it love ratting let me no were thr r please
In the Playground at 93th St and CPW,! the rats made a home too. you can see the rats in broad daylight running through the playground.