Giant sized rats (Click here for graphic photos) have been found on the grounds and in a building of Marcy Houses -- a sprawling, New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) property with more than 1,700 units located in the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. According to residents, vermin infestation is a long-standing battle at Marcy Houses. The recent sightings of extra-large wild rats, however, is a relatively new problem. The average length of an adult male wild rat is 10 inches and the average body weight is 19 ounces. A very large rat can reach 32 ounces. Still, rats weighing over 2.2 pounds are exceptional. The large rats found at Marcy Houses appear to be the size of either a large raccoon or possum.
"In one day eight big size rats were killed," said a Marcy Houses resident who declined to be named for fear of reprisal from city or property management. They were found in and around the buildings of the Nostrand-Myrtle Avenues section of the property and have been seen on the playground. "They come out at night and the daytime," said another resident who also did not want to provide a name. Even before the mega-rats appeared, residents say, the infestation of average rats was a problem. One resident recently described a frantic scene in which rats began scrambling across the nearby playground: "Adults had to grab children and run because a lot of rats came on the playground. The kids were screaming."
"I moved here a year ago and thought it would be better for me and my kids than where we lived before," said another resident, a mother of two children. Some residents blame the general rat infestation on poor management at Marcy Houses, but also on some fellow residents who they say do not follow instructions to discard trash down chutes, which are located on each floor. Instead, bags of trash are piled outside of the apartment buildings and brazen rats feast on the contents. But no one can explain the extraordinarily large wild rats that have appeared on the property.
BBN spoke with an exterminator who, based on the ears, tail, nose and feet of the rodent, identified it as a wild rat; he explained that rodents grow to that size when there is not targeted, sustained extermination treatment. The exterminator also said that the white color is not unusual for rats. In addition to being a public nuisance, wild rats spread a range of diseases, creating a health risk for humans. (Read more about diseases wild rats cause). Most residents on the property heard about the giant rats by word-of-mouth. They said they did not get a notice from the property manager warning them of the health risks.
NYCHA sent BBN an email response to our inquiry about the large size rats: "The New York City Housing Authority treats its 334 properties for pests regularly through NYCHA licensed exterminators and contractors when necessary. NYCHA exterminators treat basements and adjoining ground areas periodically. Our contractor treated the basements and grounds at Marcy Houses for rodents during the period of June 10th through July 7th. NYCHA exterminators recently treated all basements and grounds at Marcy Houses on August 1st, 5th and 11th. When we treat our developments, notices are posted throughout the property."
Marcy Houses is the community of public housing residents where music mogul Shawn Carter (AKA "Jay-Z") and rapper Memphis Bleek grew up.
S. Toomer reporting for BBN. And we thank our sources for bringing us this story.
