Desperate Rats Take Over America's Streets Searching for Food

It isn't just us that's being struck by the pandemic; America's rats are also desperately searching for food in certain areas, be they from New York or New Orleans. 

In a report from USA Today, with many restaurants closed during the coronavirus lockdown in densely populated areas, rats have started to become aggressive. They have moved out of their comfort zones to scavenge for food.

This is more than just a story of "when the cat is away, the mice will play." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have warned that these rodents, now without humans in the picture, are taking it to the streets like never before.

ALSO READ: PPE to Be Upgraded With Special Fabric That Eliminates Viruses on Contact

"Jurisdictions have closed or limited service at restaurants and other commercial establishments to help limit the spread of COVID-19. Community-wide closures have led to a decrease in food available to rodents, especially in dense commercial areas.

Some jurisdictions have reported an increase in rodent activity," the CDC explained in USA Today regarding this sudden infestation.

These nocturnal creatures are becoming more and more aggressive since their in dire survival mode due to the limited food resources. Some of them are fighting against each other and have now resulted in cannibalism.  

Urban Rodentologist Bobby Corrigan has this to say still on USA Today on why these once nocturnal rodents are now turning against each other, "They're mammals just like you and me, and so when you're really, really hungry, you're not going to act the same. You're going to perform very bad, usually. 

Due to these famished creatures finding new sources for food, there's a big possibility that service requests for environment and health offices will spike up anytime soon. Such an uptick in vermin activity needs to be halted immediately as rats carry diseases like salmonella and rat-bite fever.

DON'T MISS: Kawasaki-Like Illness Linked to COVID-19 Now Affects Teens, Including the Heart and Other Organs

Meanwhile, a viral video showed hordes of rats making their way to the famous streets of the French Quarter in New Orleans. To keep these creatures at bay, the CDC suggested that homeowners need to seal all access routes to their homes and business. They are also advised to tightly cover their trash bins and pick-up leftover pet food from their yards.

On the contrary, rats have not been established to be carriers of COVID-19, and they haven't shown any aggressive behavior towards people. 

Speaking of affecting animals, there have been cases of COVID-19 detected on pets whose owners fell ill with the virus, as mentioned in Science News. This may be an isolated cases, but still, there's a need to be alarmed. This was the first human-to-cat transmission of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Prior to that, the owner got sick with COVID-19, after returning from a trip, the pet then developed the usual symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, and respiratory issues,

READ MORE: Health Officials Speak Up About Asthmatic Patients and Discomfort in Wearing a Face Mask