By Lisa Anselmo

that first night he caught over 50 rats while still dressed in his suit and tie from work! The rats appeared to have been there long enough to dig rather extensive burrows and become a breeding population. We discovered pinkies, just-weaned babies, and juveniles that were likely born on the median. The population was predominantly female; we found very few males.

Caitlin and Richard contacted me and notified me about the situation. We immediately banded together with a small group of volunteers in order to catch the rats and find somewhere to place them. Some of the volunteers who helped on a continual basis were: Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose, on their way to foster care Enzo Barrios, Carlos Rodriguez, Suzanne Talmadge, and with their guardian Lydia DesRoche, trainer of Toby, the Laura Budean, who are responsible for the vast majority of rat in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. the rats that were caught. Photo by Lydia DesRoche In mid July, Caitlin Harrington discovered an online news Not being affiliated with any rescue group, we were ill report about domestic white rats, or PEWs, that were prepared to take on such a daunting task, but we were dumped on the median of the Highway in the determined to save as many as we could. We’re not exactly borough of , NY. She went there in sure who it was, but once the rescue efforts began, person to assess the situation and discovered white rats someone notified the city of the situation and exterminators roaming freely about the median of the highway. People were sent to poison the colony. We learned that a large living and working nearby told her that the rats had been percentage of people in the had no idea how to there for approximately two months, and that there were "hundreds" of them. All of the rats were caught by hand, most of them by Caitlin’s husband, Richard Daves. In fact,

These are pregnant and possibly pregnant females in the care of Kristin Weber. Kristen is the Rat Adoption Coordinator for HALT rescue in and took in the majority of the rats that Baby rats in Lisa Anselmo’s home; all caught at the were caught. She also drove to New York City to help with the rat median, and all placed in foster or forever homes. hunt and even brought an inferred camera to aid in the search. Photo by Lisa Anselmo Photo by Kristin Weber www.itsaratsworld.com distinguish between domestic and wild rats, even though all of these rats are PEWs rather than of agouti coloring. So not only did we have to capture well over 150 rats and find somewhere to put them, but we also had to deal with the ones who were suffering from poisoning, as well as the many pregnant females.

We were not successful in finding a local or national animal welfare agency willing to help us in this rescue endeavor. Thankfully, the rat and animal lovers’ community stepped up to help us save these abandoned rats. Helping All Little Things (or HALT) rescue in New Jersey immediately agreed to take in the majority of the animals we caught. Rat lovers from all over the northern east coast (of the U.S.) came forward to adopt and foster these rats; victims of a criminal act of abandonment and an ill-conceived act by the city of New York to poison them. We relied on the kindness of rehabbers and anonymous veterinarians outside the city to provide us with life-saving medication for these animals. So many kind-hearted people gave us supplies, donated their time, and aided in whatever way they could to help these rats. Volunteers literally put their own lives on hold to save them, and it was a physically and emotionally trying time for Drusilla Kehl’s Rats shirt everyone involved. http://bit.ly/1guVIxr

To date the rescue efforts continue; we are currently working on transporting some of the rats to the -Rhode Island area, and some as far away as Florida. While we believe that we may have caught the last survivor of this huge colony, we will continue to revisit the area and search for signs of life. We cannot leave any rats behind to breed and start this horrible situation all over again. We will need to clean up the site and we plan to set up a memorial for the ones who perished. The many babies born from these rats will need to be adopted, and we are busy with various rescues and individuals helping to transport the little ones to their forever homes. We have had no media interested in reporting this incident. We have no idea who abandoned these animals or why, and the city of New York does not appear to be interested in finding out the answers. Had it not been for the rat lovers’ community, these animals would have remained doomed. To everyone who offered help and support: thank you! Your kindness means more than you know.

How you can help: Well over 100 babies will need to find homes, and so will the many female rats once they are past pregnancy watch. Supplies are always needed and Some of the youngest survivors found at the site. welcome. Our friend Drusilla Kehl, a wonderful rat lover and These pinkies, along with a an orphaned mouse, artist, has designed a t-shirt as a fundraiser. If you would like are being hand raised by a local rehabber, to buy a shirt in support, please visit: http://bit.ly/1guVIxr Florence Grob. Photo by Florence Grob

Donations can also be made via PayPal to the email Want to see the rescue in action? Check out this video address: [email protected]. Please specify NYC Rat on Gothamist: http://bit.ly/1KMp07r (warning, there are a Rescue. Donations of food, bedding, and hammocks can be few disturbing images) mailed to: Mooshoes, c/o Lisa Anselmo, 78 , Also... New York, New York, 10002. I can make sure that they are Visit the West Side Highway Rats Facebook page: distributed to foster and adoption homes. http://bit.ly/1K2oUmD www.itsaratsworld.com