Stephen Dubner

Our next question for Corgan was, well, you know, the next question, did his rat taste like chicken?

Our next question for Corgan was, well, you know, the next question, did his rat taste like chicken?

Our next question for Corgan was, well, you know, the next question, did his rat taste like chicken?

Standing in the cold with Corrigan today, we aren't hoping to eat rats. We're still just trying to spot one. So far on this tour, we have seen plenty of ARS, active rodent signs, but no active rodents. Corrigan still has faith.

Standing in the cold with Corrigan today, we aren't hoping to eat rats. We're still just trying to spot one. So far on this tour, we have seen plenty of ARS, active rodent signs, but no active rodents. Corrigan still has faith.

Standing in the cold with Corrigan today, we aren't hoping to eat rats. We're still just trying to spot one. So far on this tour, we have seen plenty of ARS, active rodent signs, but no active rodents. Corrigan still has faith.

We head over to a small park in Tribeca.

We head over to a small park in Tribeca.

We head over to a small park in Tribeca.

We do find a hole, and then another, then four more, six burrow holes in one small area of one small park.

We do find a hole, and then another, then four more, six burrow holes in one small area of one small park.

We do find a hole, and then another, then four more, six burrow holes in one small area of one small park.

It's late afternoon by now, starting to get dark, and we give up without having spotted a rat. Does this mean New York City's rat problem is getting better? Maybe, but maybe not. The Norway rat is primarily nocturnal.

It's late afternoon by now, starting to get dark, and we give up without having spotted a rat. Does this mean New York City's rat problem is getting better? Maybe, but maybe not. The Norway rat is primarily nocturnal.

It's late afternoon by now, starting to get dark, and we give up without having spotted a rat. Does this mean New York City's rat problem is getting better? Maybe, but maybe not. The Norway rat is primarily nocturnal.

It does make you wonder just how much of our war on rats is a war against some part of ourselves.

It does make you wonder just how much of our war on rats is a war against some part of ourselves.

It does make you wonder just how much of our war on rats is a war against some part of ourselves.

So, should we be leaning into our shared experience? Coming up next time in the third and final episode of Sympathy for the Rat, we will hear about rats as pets. If you want to love them, you have to know about them. Rats as research subjects.

So, should we be leaning into our shared experience? Coming up next time in the third and final episode of Sympathy for the Rat, we will hear about rats as pets. If you want to love them, you have to know about them. Rats as research subjects.