Dateline: May 2

This week’s Dateline may not be easy watching but it highlights New York City’s ongoing war with rats, and those who are determined to erase them.

An estimated two million rats (one for every four residents) call New York City home and sightings have steadily risen since the pandemic began, resulting in a viral 2022 press conference which saw the city’s Sanitation Commissioner declare ‘rats don’t run this city we do’. Now, New York Mayor Eric Adams has implemented new measures aimed to combat what he calls the city’s “No. 1 enemy,” including the appointment of its first-ever rat-czar this month.

In ‘Rat Hunters’, award-winning Dateline journalist Calliste Weitenberg journeys to New York City to meet a group of local vigilantes and their dogs who are tackling the city’s bourgeoning rat problem. The episode provides a glimpse into how the issue is impacting residents, fuelling anxieties and leading to the rise of impassioned ‘rat hunters’ who are taking matters into their own hands.

9:30pm Tuesday on SBS.