Life is a trap.

I met a self-confident rat walking across my little courtyard in New Orleans. Then I met Bruno (or if you prefer B.R.U.N.O - Brave Rodent Utilizer in New Orleans) who is actively researching the distribution and ecology of local rats. And then, last Friday, I had to say good bye to Bruno as he leaves to follow his supervisor. Unfortunately, the rats stay in New Orleans - they do not follow Bruno nor his supervisor.

New Orleans is apparently a home to two types of fury fellows: Norway rats and black rats. While Norway rats tend to live in underground burrows, black rats live in tree canopies or the roofs of buildings. I assume I met my fellow European :)

Credit: Timmy Madere, Tulane University.

These rats are small and shy. I had no time to take a picture of that little bastard as they are neophobic too - yes new scientific synonym I just learnt meaning that they don’t like new things. “Getting your hands on an animal is incredibly hard,” says Rat Researcher at Tulane (the one that goes away now). The Brave Rat Utilizers trap them across entire New Orleans to be able to do research on them. They use "an irresistible bait to entice their quarry: a mixture of tuna, oatmeal, and, peanut butter. “If you’re a rat, it smells wonderful,” says Rat Researcher.

Rodent Trapping Team Member. Credit: Bruno Ghersi Chavez, Tulane University.

Apparently, city rodents may carry a lot of bacteria. And if you happened to swim in the water where they dropped their droppings (meaning rat shit here) you are very likely to be exposed to: Seoul virus, leptospirosis or bartonella. So you better safe than sorry when it comes to handling weirds stuff. Put some protective gear on: