The proliferation of rats in Paris has become a matter of international concern. The French capital is suffering from an ever-increasing rodent population, to the effect that not a day goes by without residents coming face to face with these animals—whether in parks, on the metro, or in the city’s busiest streets. Unable to solve the problem, the socialist Town Hall has proposed the creation of a ‘committee’ to study how to ‘cohabit’ with these animals.
It is currently difficult to estimate the exact number of rats, a population that is by nature hidden and shifting. However, rat control professionals estimate that there are around 5 million rats in the whole of Paris, representing a ratio of 1.5 to 2 rats per inhabitant. Parisians come across them every day.
