Are the rats multiplying? No, but they’ve gotten bolder.
For all its perks, outdoor dining has one major drawback: the rats. In cities all over the country this summer, diners witnessed rats scurrying across their feet and loitering near dining tables, sometimes disappearing into nearby trash cans, Eater reports. But are there really more rats out in the world, or are the rodents just behaving differently? Experts point toward the latter. It’s not so much that rats bred like crazy while cities were shut down. Instead, it’s more likely that with many restaurants closed, rats got in the habit of venturing further to find food. (They also got bolder about scurrying around in broad daylight.) But hey, it’s not all stolen pizza crusts and pathogen risks. They may try to ruin your picnic, but in their defense, we’re all acting a little differently out in public these days. —Claire Brown
