Fewer rats in New Orleans?

New Orleans is winning the war on rats. That was the message today in a report to the city council.

"It's quite an aggressive program to keep the rodents down," said Claudia Riegel in the department that oversees rodent control. She said they are getting far fewer complaints about rats. "This year, the number of service requests from the citizens are about 1,000 down."

In addition to their treating areas with a lot of rats, she credits the city issued garbage cans residents and businesses now have to use. "I know the garbage cans with the lids have really helped us a lot," Riegel told the council.

Director Michael Carroll said, "The plastic garbage bag is probably the number one problem in New York city... they have a tremendous rodent problem in New York city and it's mainly because of the curbside garbage."

"If the bags are out on the sidewalk, the rats are going to go through it," said Riegel. By putting the trash in covered cans, it limits the food available to sustain the rat population.