Sure, this city has its rats, but rat tourism? Walk into any Toronto subway station and your chances of spotting furry little vermin scurrying across subway tracks or underneath trains are high. While the typical reaction to the city’s rat population might be disgust, or perhaps a nonchalant glance—a testament to Torontonians’ blasé indifference to encountering urban wildlife while traveling to and from work—most wouldn’t consider rats to be a top tourist attraction.

But considering that Toronto was recently listed by Orkin Pest Control as Canada’s ‘rattiest city’, perhaps some Torontonians might follow in the footsteps of those from other major metropolises and capitalize on its rat activity.

New York City, for example, was recently named one of the top three rattiest cities in the U.S. Kenny Bollwerk (@nyc_kb), unofficially dubbed the ‘Rat King’, has garnered more than 277,000 followers and 4 million likes on Tik Tok by live-streaming rat activity across the city.

His viral “RatTok” videos show everything from rats scurrying across city sidewalks and taking over studio apartments, to giant rats scampering over “the last slice” of dollar store pizza crust.

@nyc_kb Pt. 68 – Rats in Sunnyside, Queens #nycrats #whatisnewyork #nyctiktok #sunnysidequeens #nyctour #nycguide #nyclife #onlyinnewyork ♬ ScoobyDooPaPa(DJ版) – 王梦瑶

There’s even video of Bollwerk feeding the rats. In one video, he places a slice of pizza on a sidewalk near Grand Central Terminal and times how long it takes for rats to devour it. In less than 3 minutes, a giant rat scampers out from underneath a box, grabs the slice between its teeth, and scampers off.

“Everyone’s always wondering why we’re feeding them. Why are we feeding them? We’re feeding them to get this video evidence that there’s a problem [and] a rat infestation because I can’t always see what’s going on behind the trash” he stated.  His videos appear to be having an impact.  Bollwerk noted that, in 2023, they successfully took down three rat colonies around New York City.

@nyc_kb Come behind the scenes with me on @rattoknation as we show why we feed rats at different locations. Full video on youtube, link in bio! #nycrats #rattok #pizzarat #ratinfestation ♬ original sound – nyc_kb

Bollwerk’s RatTok empire has even expanded to include 1-hour rat tours—for $50, fans can go on a walking tour of New York while scoping out the city’s hottest rat locations. And starting in April of this year, RatTok is going on the road, with Bollwerk heading to other rat-infested cities (no word yet if Toronto is on that list).

@nyc_kb Starting April 2024 Rat Tok is coming to a city near you! What cities should I add to my list? #rattok #rattours #nycrats #ratdaddy #ratinfestation ♬ original sound – nyc_kb

While New York’s war on rats is making progress (the city dropped from second to third place among the rattiest cities in America in 2023, partially due to information campaigns, an “anti-rat” community day of action, and the appointment of a “rat czar”), Toronto has remained the no. 1 city for rodents in Canada for the past few years.

In Toronto, a city spokesman told CP24 that, on average, under the DineSafe program, Toronto Public Health responds to approximately 400 rodent complaints a year, about 80% of these complaints concern mice and the rest concern rats.

To mitigate rodents from entering your home/establishment, Orkin suggests:

• Sealing cracks or holes in exterior walls, expansion joints, and foundations.
• Installing screens on utility openings and ducts.
• Reducing harbourage by trimming shrubs and grass.
• Getting rid of moisture sources (e.g., clogged gutters).
• Storing objects away from exterior walls and about 45 centimetres off the ground.
• Rodent-proofing sheds.
• Keeping garbage and food waste away from your property (or use tight-fitting lid containers).

Or, young social media savants could take the opportunity of a city overrun with rats and start making some, ahem, cheddar off of rat tourism.