People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) criticized New York City Mayor Eric Adams for saying he "hates rats," which regularly run through the subway system and invade buildings in the Big Apple.
The furry rodents often scurry through the subways and rummage through trash on the streets of the Big Apple, presenting a health risk to the public, according to NYC health and housing officials.
However, that is not how the animal rights advocacy group view the rats. Adams "could apparently use a lesson in showing kindness and respect for all New Yorkers," PETA wrote.
The group will be sending Adams an "Empathy Kit" that "offer(s) a step-by-step guide to cultivating compassion," plus a "Rats Have Rights" mug.
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Last month, New York City health officials issued a warning about the increase in transmitted bacterial illness spread by rat urine after 24 cases were reported in 2023, the most for any year.
The mayor announced that New York City will host an inaugural "national urban rat summit," which will bring experts from major cities, including New York City, Boston, New Orleans and Seattle, to devise a rat mitigation plan.
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"We continue to make progress, but we’re not stopping there," Adams said. "The best way to defeat our enemy is to know our enemy. That’s why we’re holding this inaugural summit, to bring experts and leaders from across the country together to better understand urban rats and how to manage their populations."
PETA did not take kindly to these comments.
"Instead of trash-talking rats, Mayor Adams should focus on clearing New York’s streets of the massive heaps of garbage attracting them in the first place," PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said. "PETA is calling on Adams to stop villainizing rats for a problem created by humans and to address this issue with respect and understanding."
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Fox News Digital reached out to Adams' office for comment.
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Six cases of leptospirosis connected to rat urine have been reported so far in New York City, health officials said last month.
Leptospirosis can lead to kidney damage, meningitis, liver failure, trouble breathing and, in extreme cases, death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The homeless population or people living in shelters or other facilities where large clusters of people live in tight corridors are at a higher risk of contracting the disease, which has symptoms that can be mistaken for other illnesses, the CDC says.
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From 2001 to 2023, the Bronx had the most cases with 37, while Manhattan had 28, the memo said. Six deaths were reported in the same time period.
New York City officials said they have been focused on the trash problem over the last 13 months.
"As New Yorkers know too well, rats aren’t just gross, they can make your home unlivable," said Adolfo Carrión Jr., New York City's commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
"This administration's commitment to advancing the 'Trash Revolution' will help us accomplish our number one objective: to prioritize the well-being of New Yorkers and protect tenants and homeowners."
The mayor's office said rat sightings reported to 311 have declined in 12 of the last 13 months since the administration began its "Trash Revolution" program.
The total decrease across the covered period was 6.3% and almost 14% in the city’s Rat Mitigation Zones, the mayor's office said.
