Bad Economy Puts Cities at Risk of Rat Invasion

While recession, foreclosure, and crumbling urban infrastructure grate on us humans, there's one pretty smart mammal who's living the life of Riley right now: the sewer rat.

American cities are on the verge of a rat invasion, warns a small-mammal biologist in a new study. And redemption, it turns out, is both personal and political.

(Getty Images)
More Photos

American cities are on the verge of a rat invasion, warns small-mammal biologist and self-described "rat pack" member Dale Kaukeinen (in college "all the good animals were taken," he says) in a new study. And redemption, it turns out, is both personal and political.

"The problem of rats is just a symptom of a declining and weakening infrastructure, and it's one of the more visible symptoms of depressed cities struggling to face their problems," says Mr. Kaukeinen in an interview.

Partly to blame are politicians' budgetary choices, the economy, and, yes, even greenie environmentalists who propose wide-open green spaces that, it turns out, usually evolve into urban versions of a Sandals resort for rats.

Related

PHOTOS: Rat-Eating Plant! New Species Discovered

WATCH: Yummy Roast Rat!

WATCH: French Love Affair With Rats

In the second study of its kind (paid for by d-Con antipest products), New York once again topped the list of rats' favorite cities.

But 162-year-old Atlanta, the city too busy to hate anybody but rats, shot up the ranks to No. 2. A glimpse into why indicates that the plight of those yellow-toothed rodents are closely intertwined with the politics of the day.

The study took into account dozens of environmental, demographic, economic, and political factors, including budgetary priorities. Turns out that rat-friendly Atlanta has one of the highest poverty rates (20 percent) and highest foreclosure rates (five times the national average).

And Atlantans are paying attention. In its mayoral race, one frontrunner's main campaign promise is combatting foreclosure-related blight, which has increased as budgets have been gutted, city finances mismanaged, and building inspectors fired.

Sure, Hollywood likes rats. So do political commentators. Fox News' Glenn Beck recently described White House "regulatory czar" Cass Sunstein as "a man that believes that you should not be able to remove rats from your home if it causes them any pain. Rats could attack us in the sewer and court systems if all of Cass Sunstein's writings became law."