DEAR  BEARTOWNTONIANS,

The recent media coverage has kept my phones ringing and my email clogged.  I wish to dispel your concerns about rats in Beartown.  The noises you hear in your home or at your neighborhood eatery are probably squirrels
or mice and I estimate their population to be less than 10 for each Beartown resident.  Continue to "CHOW DOWN" at our local restaurants and snack bars.  I'll be sure to inform all residents if a health problem arises.
Below is some research from 2002 I found about New York City.

BEARTOWN HEALTH OFFICER

New York is large and occupied by many people. New York is also infested with rats. No one knows the exact number of rats. Dr. Patrick Thomas, a curator of mammals at the Bronx Zoo states that "They are an extraordinarily adaptable and hardy breed. "The population of rats will continue to increase if the city does not do anything about the poor garbage disposal, increased construction or the inefficient coordination of the city's response to this problem.

Why is the number of rats so large? In just a year, one female rat can produce 285 new born rats. After few weeks they are already roaming around the city. New York City is trying to decrease (and possibly eliminate) this infestation. It is imperative to address this problem because the rats are already outnumbering the number of people and is increasing year by year. Not only will they be overrunning the city, but it is critical for the safety of the people. They can carry bacterial diseases such as salmonella and many people report of rat bites. These rats are susceptible and able to carry disease. The city, in 1997, had a budget of 8 million dollars to spend on exterminators, toxic pesticides etc. By the year 2000, this budget increased to 13 million dollars.
Today, year 2002, it is estimated that for every person there are twelve rats. Considering that there are 8 million people, there are 96 million rats in the city of New York.