3-Foot Rat Found in NYC Brooklyn Projects

Residents of Brooklyn’s Marcy Houses have long complained about the rat problem, but the three-foot-long monster that has been reportedly killed by a worker, and photographed, is truly terrifying. The photo of the enormous rodent hanging from Jose Rivera’s pitchfork was first published on blackandbrownnews.com. The animal is light in color with a long tail and appears to have been very well fed.

“I hit it one time and it was still moving,” Rivera told the NY Daily News. “I hit it another time and that’s when it died. I’m not scared of rats but I was scared of being bitten.”

The NY Daily News is reporting that, according to experts, the animal pictured is not the average New York rat, but rather a Gambian pouched rat. They are reportedly a common pet, but imports of the animal ended in 2003 after they were blamed for a monkeypox outbreak.
Gambian pouched rats can grow to three feet and live for roughly seven years. Rivera told the NY Daily News that he has seen several other rats of the same size on the Marcy grounds.

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