NEW YORK (AP) — Hate rats? Are you a “bit of a bloodthirsty” New Yorker with excellent communication skills and a “general tough-guy aura”? Then maybe you have what it takes to be the new czar in the fight against the rats of the city.
The city government headed by Mayor Eric Adams posted a job posting this week seeking someone to lead the metropolis’ longstanding fight against rats. The official title of the position is: “Director of Rodent Mitigation”, although he was soon named rat czar. Salary ranges from $120,000 to $170,000 a year.
“The ideal candidate is someone highly motivated and somewhat bloodthirsty, determined to look at all solutions from various angles, such as improving operational efficiency, data collection, technological innovation, waste management, and wholesale slaughter. older,” the job ad says.
The ad is colorful, but the job is challenging.
New York City officials have tried to control the rodent population for generations, with mixed results. Sightings of rats in parks, sidewalks and other city sites have increased recently.
City rats have outlasted former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s multi-million dollar effort that focused more on trash pickup and better home inspections in specific neighborhoods. The city also launched a program to use dry ice to suffocate rats in their hideouts.
When he was Brooklyn borough president, Adams once demonstrated a trap that used a bucket full of toxic soup to drown rats attracted by the smell of food.
Now the Adams government is looking for a rat specialist to become the public face of the city’s eradication and education efforts.
“Cunning, voracious and prolific, New York’s rats are legendary for their ability to survive, but they don’t run the city, we do,” the job posting reads.
Applicants are expected to have a sense of humor and “take command, using practical techniques to exterminate rodents authoritatively and effectively.”