It seems the city of New Have may have a rat problem. That's according to residents who say they've seen the animals first hand scurrying around the downtown area.
"They're like this big! Like Ratatouille rats!" Said New Haven Resident Robert Franklin.
Numerous residents are reporting seeing more and more rats.
"It's been a nuisance to see these rats that are as large as cats," said New Haven Resident Jazz DeVar
Bus riders like Devar say the rats mostly emerge at night around the bus stops, coming out of nearly every available space.
"They're coming out of the cracks of the sidewalks, they're coming through the sewers," said DeVar.
The problem witnesses say is not just the rats plaguing the bus stops. But they fact they seem to be spreading to more greener pastures.
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"Now they're spreading out into the lawn," said DeVar.
Mayor of New Haven Toni Harp released a statement on the rat concerns:
"Several city departments operate pest control operations year 'round; after a relatively quiet summer, rodent control efforts and monitoring were recently stepped up to combat what is likely a seasonal uptick in activity."
An "uptick" riders hope ends soon.
"We need to do something about this," said DeVar.
In a recent report, Pest control company Orkin ranked cities and regions where it performed the highest number of rodent treatments in the past year. Hartford and New Haven, which were counted as one market for the purpose of the rankings – ranked number 16 out of 50.
