New York City has a pest problem so prolific, the mayor hired a dedicated rat czar earlier this year. Previous efforts to reduce the rat problem include brutal traps, poison, and birth control bait. The city has historically focused on population control methods, including brutal spring traps and hazardous poisons to keep the pests at bay. AdvertisementAdvertisementParsons previously told Insider the "real city rats" are "the men and women of bureaucracy and their two-and-a-half centuries of bad practice." To really have fewer rats, New York norms of takeout and eating outside would have to change."

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Persons: Eric Adams, that's, Kathleen Corradi —, Department of Education —, Corradi, Jason Munshi, Michael Parsons, Parsons, Munshi Organizations: Service, New York City, Big Apple, Waste, Department of Education, New, New York Mayor's, Department of Sanitation, The New York Times, Fordham University, NYT Locations: York City, Wall, Silicon, New York