Brooklyn Birds, and Other Forms of Wildlife

arches

They're taking over Grand Army!!! It's bad over there....esp around the trash cans on Plaza Street. I'm up for the hunt whenever you are, MHA (although I DID see a pair of hummingbirds last week...so be careful).

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/09/17/2010-09-17_rats_havin_grand_time.html

tsarina

My pitbull is especially adept at killing rats. It is one of his greatest joys. Killing basketballs seem to his first love. Terriers are bred to kill rodents.

mha

I just saw the biggest fucking rat I've ever seen; actually, I saw two of them. This thing ran right by me. By 'right by me' I mean at least two inches away from my feet. I called out for Jesus, like he would help me. There were some of the neighborhood color skulking about, and I exclaimed to the two of them, "Did you see that??!" And one of them said, not skipping a beat, "Yeah, they're my friends." Friends indeed. And then the second one scurried by about ten feet away. They were both at least a FOOT long, NOT including the tail; word is bond.

whynot_31

Word.

I saw a huge one at GAP last night, I thought it was a squirrel with a non fuzzy tail at first

mha

Maybe it was a sign. Was it male? Did it command that you to commit upon it a rude act?

whynot_31

If it did, it was Not in a language I could understand.

mha

Oh? You don't speak Rat? Jeez, that's not what I heard...

whynot_31

Don't believe the media. They are always casting me as dumb and ignorant

mha

I heard that you spoke Rat. That you are always ratting people out. That's what I heard...

whynot_31

MHA wrote: I heard that you spoke Rat. That you are always ratting people out. That's what I heard...

Not me yo

Snitches get stitches. I ain't down wit 5-0

mha

I don't know about FIVE-0, but I do know you be down with TOO-5, TOO-O

whynot_31

Check your sources.

Meanwhile, I think the Botanical Gardens is in CH.

I like the Japanese part. It is very peaceful and there is wildlife. Coy and turtles are everywhere in the pond

mha

Starry night; constellations and all. The less cloud coverage, the colder it will be. Remember that.

Where do fruit flies come from?

mha

Walking home last night I felt a little uneasy with the piles of garbage all about on the sidewalk. Whenever there is garbage, there are rats a-feasting. I am prone to walk down the center of the street because I am terribly uncomfortable walking inches away from garbage bags. I preface with this to say as I made my way on to the sidewalk I saw a HUGE effing rat -- I mean HEW-Ja! scurrying about atop a garbage container. Its eyes gleamed in the overhead streetlight. There are so many effing rats around here it ain't funny.....

I wonder if there is some correlation between the new hipster demographic and rat population growth? There are more rats now than there were two years ago. I cast no aspersions here; seriously. Maybe the better garbage has led to more food for rats to consume?

homeowner

Not 100% a direct correlation, but there are certainly more TNR folks in the hood than there were 5 or 10 years ago. Since outdoor cats have short lifespans, get rid of the natural predators and what happens?

Disclaimer: I am not disparaging new folks, hipsters, TNR folks or rats, just noting there may be a correlation.

mha

TNR (The New Rich?)

I am really disturbed by the rat population increase. It is REALLY very high. There are great deal of rats about. It really freaks me out.

homeowner

Trap, Neuter, Release. Its a method of dealing with feral cat populations that doesn't result in them either procreating or being euthanized by animal shelters.

mha

Oh dear god....

Why do you people care so much about cats? We need 'em to have kittens so that they can deal with these RATS! Why don't y'all TNR the rats out here!?

booklaw

Or, as to the rats, TKR, right? (Trap, Kill, Remove)

tsarina

MHA, how will letting feral cats have kittens solve the problem of improperly disposed garbage that attracts rats? The cats also rip up garbage bags to get to food because nobody is taking care of them. If the cats are having kittens, then they need to take care of kittens, which means they wont be trying to catch rats, unless the rat is trying to attack the nest.

Your "solution" is extremely shortsighted, is very expensive in the cost of lives of the cats and just doesn't work.

As a registered animal rescuer, I do TNR and have picked up cats that some of my neighbors dump with alarming regularity. The pet overpopulation problem, the incredible indifference to life (both human and animal), well I can't fix everything but I do what I can to help the animals because they are innocent and we as humans are responsible for domesticated animals.

Why do I care so much about cats? I dunno, why do people care so much about babies and children? why you so fixated on racism? why do people care so much about sports? Everyone has their own interests.

whynot_31

Hey, aren't we supposed to be "overrun" by possums by now?

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/rat_bastards_f5onjzgcqxm0fu3RFz3ySL

I am disappointed.

krowonhill

I think when most people use the word "innocent" what they really mean is "harmless". So, cats are innocent. Small children are innocent. And Africans carrying your bags up Kilamanjaro are innocent. It's the word of choice for the powerful who want to feel benevolent over the powerless.

Any self-respecting cat would be appalled to be called innocent. Ever watched a cat toy with a mouse as a preliminary to the kill? Vicious. In human terms, the cat would be called sociopathic.

tsarina

Honey you make up any kind of interpretation you want, its your right.

whynot_31

Actually, the new version of the DSM is almost ready to go to press.

It limits the amount of interpretations one can make and remain a respected professional.

http://www.dsm5.org/Pages/Default.aspx

....which kinda sucks

homeowner

MHA, I thought of you last night as I watched Hoarders. A guy whose wife died went out and purchased three domesticated rats as pets for company. The rats got out of the cage and multiplied and by the time he realized he needed help he had over 2000 rats in his home (most of whom he knew by name). The humane society came in and trapped most of them, then set up an adoption program with local pet stores.

So start naming your neighborhood rats and get cracking on that adoption program...

mha

LOL!

Homeowner I think I may have inadvertently named some of them, as when one runs by inched from my person, depending upon size, I scream out, 'Oh Sweet Jesus' 'Jesus Christ' 'Oh My F--in God', 'What the F---?!' and some Jamaican cusswords I have no letters for.

I don't know if I am able to come up with 2000 names though. But this does raise an intriguing point: Does a homeowner aware that there is a rat den within the confines of their property have an obligation to get rid of it? I know for certain that a number of the rats I see scurry about live in a hole in the garden space of a specific property. I saw one two nights ago hanging out on top of a garbage can near the rat hole ripping into Hefty's best.

homeowner

I don't know about an obligation, but based upon what I saw on Hoarders, the animals pretty much ATE HIS ENTIRE HOUSE! Everything was chewed up to be used as a nest, and the guy said he even had to move out of the house after the rats started ripping the hair out of his head so they could use it for nests. The rescuers eventually ripped out all the walls down to the studs and many of the fixtures to get the animals out.

After watching that, I'd say if you have rats on your property its best to get rid of them because they will find their way inside and then you'll never be rid of them.

whynot_31

Depending upon the level of infestation, the city will tell the property owner to exterminate them. If the property owner refuses to comply, the city will exterminate them and then bill the property owner. 20 minutes on the phone with 3-1-1 would start the process.

....you can also go to Housing Court and state that having a landlord who does not exterminate the rats makes your apartment "unfit for habitation". You don't need a lawyer for such matters.

If you decide to do neither, and keep them instead as pets, please name the one you see most often "Whynot".

k thx

mha

Whynot, I think we've had a discussion before regarding you and rats, but that's last year's news, and I am moving onward and upward.

I am pretty sure the household in question is aware of the rathole on their property. I've often passed it and heard the rats having congress underneath the rose bush. It's fucking creepy -- pardon the curse. I've thought of indulging in a bit of guerrilla pest control by furtively sprinkling rat poison by the rosebush. But maybe it would be better to call 311 and have them deal with it.

mha

Anyone see the news about that rat on the train?