Imagine adding “rat czar” as a job to your resume. It might sound ridiculous but for one New York woman, that’s literally her job.

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New York City announced that Kathleen Corradi has been hired as its very first-ever director of rodent mitigation. No, this is not a joke.

Apparently, the issue of rats in New York City has become such a big one that Corradi will need to coordinate with agencies like the Departments of Health and Mental Hygiene, Parks and Recreation, and Sanitation to find “innovative ways to cut off rats’ food sources” as well as ways to use “new technologies to detect and exterminate rat populations.”

Basically, Corradi will be a rat wrangler or rat czar. And exactly how much does a job like this pay? In our opinion, not nearly enough. Corradi will earn $155,000 a year.

But wait, there’s more. The rat issue is so bad that the City has launched the “Harlem Rat Exclusion Zone” which includes a big chunk of Manhattan. As part of the “Harlem Rat Exclusion Zone,” the City will invest $3.5 million to improve inspections, for equipment such as bait and traps, and to harden the floors in some public housing locations so the rats stop burrowing.

All jokes aside, the rat issue really is having a negative impact across the board and the City knows it which is why money is being spent to fight back and why Corradi has been hired to do something about the problem.

Corradi said, “Rat mitigation is more than a quality-of-life issue for New Yorkers. Rats are a symptom of systemic issues, including sanitation, health, housing, and economic justice.” Corradi said that she is excited to bring a science and systems-based approach to fighting the rats.

We’re all for less rats when we visit the City – as long as the rats don’t come looking for a new home in Upstate. Oh, if you were wondering, no PETA isn't happy about the whole rat czar business.

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