Macron humiliated as plague of rats blights capital city scaring tourists

Paris has reportedly been overrun with rat infestation problems that had tourists in the French capital scared of venturing out.

The problem has grown so bad that it is not uncommon for visitors to Paris to come across these rodents.

The rats can reportedly be seen and heard at the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower and in the Tuileries Gardens near the Louvre, especially during summer months.

Paris has been classified as the fourth most rat-infested city in the world, however, this ranking has been contested with some arguing the claim has been cooked up at the behest of pest-control companies.

However, it is clear that Paris' rate problem has grown massively.

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A 2020 projection suggested the rat population in Paris could approach four million.

In 2017, city officials implemented a new pest control strategy in response to public outcry with traps, poison, and educational efforts to discourage food waste and littering.

Furthermore, several traditional bins in public gardens and communal receptacles in apartment complexes have been replaced with models that are more resistant to rats.

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Historically, rats played an important role as a lifeline during the Siege of Paris in 1870-71, when they changed into a key source of nutrition for starving citizens.

Although the city's rat population of six million has been largely steady in recent years, worries developed in spring as a result of bin collector strikes. These fears centred on the rodents' ability to become bolder and exert a stronger grip over the French capital.

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Paris isn't the only city dealing with rat problems; other towns have used a variety of ways to regulate their numbers.

Earlier this year, New York appointed its first "rat czar" and set aside 3.5 million dollars for a "rodent exclusion zone" in northern Manhattan.

To address the rodent problem, the city is relying on a combination of tactics, including cleanliness inspections, traps, and building modifications, particularly in Harlem.

To address the issue, some cities have explored strong yet environmentally responsible approaches.The city of Toulouse in France began using ferrets to reduce rat populations in public locations in 2021.