Nothing could have prepared me for the phrases “sidewalk piss art” and “greasy holes with hair,” but I suppose I brought it upon myself when I signed up to attend D.C.’s rat academy.
Urban rodentologist Bobby Corrigan was describing rat urine and the burrows they dig into sidewalks, respectively, to a room full of D.C. employees, ANC commissioners, property owners, concerned residents, and one very excited journalist (me) gathered to learn how to address D.C.’s escalating rat problem. It’s a crisis that has gotten worse in recent years, and at a faster rate than a vastly larger urban area like Corrigan’s home of New York City. In fact, rat sightings have grown more in the District than anywhere else, hitting over an 800% increase since 2012, according to one study.
“We’ve been fighting the war on rats for years now,” said rat academy attendee Holly Gerberich, a Ward 5 resident and anthrozoologist. “And they’re winning.”…