Denis McLaughlin, Magnificent Louvre Museum Paris ( via Wikimedia)

ART NEWS

Rat Infestation at the magnificent Louvre Museum highlights the consequences of a dirty environment

BY KAZAD

FRANCE, PARIS – The magnificent Louvre Museum in Paris has been invaded by rats. Of course, they are not there to look at sculptures and paintings. They are there for the food. Now, the magnificent Louvre museum gardens are the epicenter of the rat activities.

Wherever one turns, there are rats scavenging for food: bread, cheese, snacks, Tartines, baguette, meat, and fish. Good thing is there is wine. If there was wine, perhaps, the rats would have drunk that as well. Can you imagine drunk rats scouring for food?

Since they started emerging from their dark holes several days ago, the rats have captivated the world with their daring exploit. Fearless and audacious, they have become a menace to picnickers having a good time at the Louvre museum gardens. Tourists and visitors have also been startled by the activities of these bold rats, Tourists jump as rats rummage for food individually and as a group.

Dexterous Rats at Louvre Museum

The rats’ escapade has become somewhat of the tale of legends. Online, there are shocking photos and videos of the rats showing off their dexterity at stealing food in broad daylight. In a video on YouTube, a rat with a big loaf of bread in its mouth scrawer across the Louvre museum gardens. Its objective? To find a comfortable hole to savor his treasure. In another YouTube video, a rat runs around a sculpture before dashing away from a lady and her daughter.

The fact that there are so many rats at the Louvre museum gardens is not surprising. The sculpture gardens are essentially the resting place for tourists and thousands of museum guests who sometimes eat their lunch there. In addition to tourists,  Parisians also eat their food in the Louvre museum gardens. Now, everyone is finger pointing. Parisians are blaming tourists and those who do not clean up after themselves. For the tourists, the parisian are the one feeding the rats.

According to some Parisians, after eating, many tourists and Parisians leave their leftovers of pizza and sandwich behind, providing food for the rats to eat. “Some even throw their leftovers, including rubbish and scraps beneath thick hedges which are very difficult to reach for cleaners,” a Parisian said.

Rat Infestation at the Louvre Museum Gardens

Almost everyone is unanimous about the contribution of tourists and Parisians to the rat infestation at the Louvre museum gardens. However,  there are other reasons for the infestation. One theory is that the mild winter in Paris encouraged breeding in the rat community. Another is that all the reconstruction projects around Les Halles may have disturbed the rats’ habitat, forcing them to find a new place to settle. Additionally, some people point to recent unending rainfall that flooded sewers, forcing the rats the surface.

Rats’ Escapade at Magnificent Louvre Museum

The unprecedented number of rats at the Louvre gardens has rekindled discussion about pidgins around the magnificent Louvre museum. Many Parisians are already complaining increasing number of pidgins around the Louvre museum.  Again, all fingers are pointing at tourists who cannot stop feeding the pidgins.  Speculations are that some tourists bring bags of bird food to the Louvre museum gardens, which they then share with other tourists to feed the pidgins. While the pidgins have not gotten as much attention as the rats in recent days, it is clear that something must be done to restore dignity to the museum’s outstanding art collection.

Whatever the reasons are for the rat infestation at the Louvre museum gardens, what is clear is that getting rid of them is going to be a daunting task. In addition to people treating the rats as pets, reaching the rats beneath the thick hedges will be challenging.

Already, rat exterminators are on hand to address the rat infestation. Clearly, Paris and museum athorities are doing everything to eradicate the menace. Many Parisians are on the side of the exterminators. Nevertheless,  whether the rats are successfully exterminated or not, the fact is that this rat infestation is now a part of the magnificent Louvre museum history. It is now difficult for Parisians to say there are no rats in Paris.

In addition to the rat infestation at the Louvre Museum gardens, pigeons are also giving the museum’s authority something to worry about.

Pigeons nearby the Louvre Museum – France – Tourist Destination

YouTube/ Roman Stetsyuk

Les pigeons du Louvre Paris

YouTube/philippe karrer

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