NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – PETA sent Mayor Eric Adams an empathy kit on Wednesday after he reaffirmed that he “hates rats” and announced that New York City will host the inaugural National Urban Rat Summit later this year.
The empathy kit includes a step-by-step guide to cultivating compassion and the popular “Rats Have Rights” mug. According to PETA, Adams needs “a lesson in showing kindness and respect for all New Yorkers.”
“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 in a statement. “The best way to defeat our enemy is to know our enemy. That’s why we’re holding this inaugural summit, to bring experts and leaders from across the country together to better understand urban rats and how to manage their populations.”
PETA argues that the solution to the city’s rodent problem lies in birth control and better trash management.
“Instead of trash-talking rats, Mayor Adams should focus on clearing New York’s streets of the massive heaps of garbage attracting them in the first place,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in a statement. “PETA is calling on Adams to stop villainizing rats for a problem created by humans and to address this issue with respect and understanding.”
The summit is set for Sept. 18-19. The event, a collaboration between the city, the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and Cornell University’s Integrated Pest Management Program, will gather experts from various fields to discuss and improve strategies for urban rat management.
PETA also offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.
In April 2023, Adams appointed Kathleen Corradi as the citywide director of rodent mitigation and announced the new Harlem Rat Mitigation Zone, the city’s fourth such zone.
As a result of Adams integrated pest management approach, rat sightings reported to 311 continue to decline, according to the mayor’s office.
The total decrease across the covered period was 6.3 percent and almost 14 percent in the city’s Rat Mitigation Zones, according to city data.