‘Rat academy’ to open in New York City

NEW YORK — New York City has a new weapon in its never-ending battle against rats and the diseases they spread: a federally funded institute to teach the craft of rodent eradication.

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Plans for the Rodent Integrated Pest Control Academy were announced Thursday. The academy will train exterminators from the Health Department and other city agencies.

The school will be funded by a three-year, $600,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Among the skills taught will be the proper placement of rat poison, which experts say must be deep inside rat holes to be effective.

The city’s health commissioner says rats were “the No. 1 issue” that New Yorkers discussed with him.