Rome starts clean-up operation to rid Colosseum area of rats
Rome's city government said on Saturday that thanks to a special clean-up operation, the area around the Colosseum in Rome was now "under control" after tourists posted videos on social media of rats roaming nearby.
"There was a special intervention by Ama [the city's cleaning and rubbish collection company] both last night and this morning," said Sabrina Alfonsi, Rome's councillor for the environment and waste, on Saturday.
In a post on her Facebook page (with the photo below) she said people could now pass safely through the area.
"The heat of recent days and the influx of tourists has led to a large amount of rubbish, mainly plastic bottles, being abandoned in all the areas surrounding the amphitheatre, especially in the green areas, the shaded areas and under the trees," she explained as the reason for the rise in the number of rodents in the area.
The clean-up operation, conducted jointly with the Colosseum park, to rid the area of rats would continue for the next few hours and days, she added.
Unlike areas like Castel Sant'Angelo and the Vatican museums, the area around the ancient amphitheatre does not typically have a major problem with rats.
Rome has around 7 million rats or 2.5 for every inhabitant, according to a statement Alfonsi gave to Adnkronos news agency.
Rubbish in the city is nothing new, either – the city's management of waste is so bad that wild boars are regulars in residential areas, drawn by the pile-up of rubbish.
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"There was a special intervention by Ama [the city's cleaning and rubbish collection company] both last night and this morning," said Sabrina Alfonsi, Rome's councillor for the environment and waste, on Saturday.
In a post on her Facebook page (with the photo below) she said people could now pass safely through the area.
"The heat of recent days and the influx of tourists has led to a large amount of rubbish, mainly plastic bottles, being abandoned in all the areas surrounding the amphitheatre, especially in the green areas, the shaded areas and under the trees," she explained as the reason for the rise in the number of rodents in the area.
The clean-up operation, conducted jointly with the Colosseum park, to rid the area of rats would continue for the next few hours and days, she added.
Unlike areas like Castel Sant'Angelo and the Vatican museums, the area around the ancient amphitheatre does not typically have a major problem with rats.
Rome has around 7 million rats or 2.5 for every inhabitant, according to a statement Alfonsi gave to Adnkronos news agency.
Rubbish in the city is nothing new, either – the city's management of waste is so bad that wild boars are regulars in residential areas, drawn by the pile-up of rubbish.
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