# Anybody know what the rat population in New Orleans is? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 3, 2005, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-rat-population-in-new-orleans-is/319935 "2005-09-03T21:29:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2005, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-rat-population-in-new-orleans-is/319935/1 "2005-09-03T21:29:34Z")
Does it bear any particular hazards to the displaced human population there? ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2005, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-rat-population-in-new-orleans-is/319935/2 "2005-09-03T22:07:59Z")
I don’t know the answer to your first question but, IMO the rats for the most part, are under water which drowns the fleas that do harm. But they will be seeking food and are not above biting a human. Please note: The above statememts are only my opinion, not facts. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-rat-population-in-new-orleans-is/319935/3 "2005-09-04T18:20:27Z")
I’ve been wondering the same thing. Given the suddenness and ferocity of the flood surge, many or most of the city’s rats might’ve drowned in their burrows (they tend to lie dormant during the day, emerging in the evening to forage), even though they’re excellent swimmers and climbers. It’s true that rats can and do eat human flesh in some circumstances, and while they’ll eat food going rancid, they don’t eat really putrid food. In the weeks and months to come, many of the surviving rats will fight amongst themselves in a long, prolonged bout of predatory cannibalism, as the city will be practically devoid of humanity and the rats’ (mostly human-provided) food supply will have disappeared. Those living on the peripheries of the city will doubtless move to the surrounding area, if they haven’t done so already. Aggressive poisoning and trapping efforts in those areas might become necessary in the weeks to come. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-rat-population-in-new-orleans-is/319935/4 "2005-09-04T18:25:05Z")
Rats have been known to have very low response levels to Census questionnaires. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-rat-population-in-new-orleans-is/319935/5 "2005-09-04T18:36:40Z")
Considering that there won’t be a lot of people around for the rats to hide from for awhile, I would assume that at least a temporary rodent population boom will be seen. As for what they are or will be eating, they’re smart enough to generally avoid that which is obviously bad, so I imagine that people won’t be on the menu that long, if at all. Geez, what a frickin’ mess this all is. ---
**Author:** ![EnderWay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d26b3c/32.png) [@EnderWay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnderWay)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-rat-population-in-new-orleans-is/319935/6 "2005-09-04T18:47:22Z")
Don’t a lot of animals have a higher sense of danger then humans and get the hell out of dodge before the shit hits the fan. Or another way or saying it couldn’t the rats have sensed change in atmosferic pressure, instinctively known this meant flood, and high taled it out of there? ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-rat-population-in-new-orleans-is/319935/7 "2005-09-04T19:15:18Z")
**EnderWay.** Not a definitive answer, but Google Answers notes the lack of dead animals in the tsunami. [http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=448958](http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=448958)