Photo: Jarred Brosnan/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The city of Boston announced the launch of the Boston Rodent Action Plan (BRAP) on Wednesday. The initiative is aimed at getting rid of rats in the city.
"We’re working to make Boston a home for everyone. Except for rats,” Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement. "Our rodent action plan, which is informed by this data-driven report, will guide our approach across our neighborhoods."
The city released a report detailing factors that contribute to the rodent population, and approaches to resolve the problem. It was commissioned by the Inspectional Services Department and authored by Dr. Bobby Corrigan, a renowned rodentologist.
In the report, Dr. Corrigan highlighted that Boston is a very old and dense city and has an outdated sewer system, making a perfect breeding ground for rats.
He also said that humans leaving waste on the street and trash in unprotected plastic bags can cause the rat population to increase. The report says changing that behavior is critical to mitigating the number of rats in Boston.
According to the report, Ward 3 — which includes Downtown, Chinatown, the North End, the South End, and Haymarket — had the most amount of 311 complaints about rats. Dorchester was second, and Allston/Brighton was third.
WBZ NewsRadio's Jay Willet (@JayWillettWBZ) reports.
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