By Kevin Korber of Village Confidential
Village residents who frequent Tompkins Square Park may have noticed an undesired population increase in recent months. The Villager broke the story last week about the increased rat population that has troubled citizens, especially parents who take their children to the playground there. Now, The Local East Village reports that the cause of the increased rat population has been revealed: a red-tailed hawk
Specifically, the Parks Department has ceased using poisoned rat traps in Tompkins Square Park because it would endanger the hawk, which feeds on the rats. Indeed, a hawk can die from eating a poisoned rat. Glenn Phillips of the New York City Audubon Society warned that such incidences are “the second-most common cause of death among birds of prey.”
That seems to be little comfort for those who use Tompkins Square Park on a regular basis, many of whom claim that the park’s rat infestation has gotten out of control. Parents have reported that the rats burrow in areas around the playground, most troublingly in the sandbox.
Parks Department spokesperson Phil Abramson said that the department has taken new steps to curb the rat population in Tompkins Square Park by focusing on eliminating rat havens, such as sealed trash cans and wood chips that reveal rat burrows. However, it remains to be seen if such measures can make scenes like this one a thing of the past.
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