Rat-friendly Amsterdam: Experts argue for co-existence with vermin, not extermination

The contact between humans and rats typically ends with the latter's death. But at a conference of the Center for Animal Studies of the University of Amsterdam, experts argued for a different approach. “In the conflict between humans and rats, it is usually win-lose. But killing one of the two parties is not a real solution,” animal scientist Maite van Gerwen said.

The rat’s main problem is a bad image, according to Merel Ligtelijn and Christine van Royen, who presented a project called Rat City at the conference. Crows, pigeons, and bats are all similar to rats, but people can live with them, while the first response to a rat is calling the exterminator.

And that bad reputation is unjustified, Van Gerwen added. Rats are considered transmitters of disease, often in reference to the plague from earlier centuries. But in reality, rats are no more dangerous than other animals.

Van Gerwen advocated a behavior change to send clearer signals to rats.

In their Rat City Project, Van Royen and Ligtelijn also suggest special feeding areas for rats spread throughout the city. The animals can roam around there unhindered, and people, as spectators, can get to know them better.

https://nltimes.nl/2024/03/13/rat-friendly-amsterdam-experts-argue-co-existence-vermin-extermination