by Chris Bodenner
A reader actualizes my unspoken fears:
I was rather shocked to read your piece about the Giant Gambian Rat that was killed in some project housing here in New York. Imagine my surprise when I drove, not an hour ago, down my street and witnessed a huge mother rat cross the street with two baby rats hanging on her side. It looked just like the one in that photo – huge long tail and everything. This is an affluent neighborhood of Queens. The power is out in our local area and I'm guessing Hurricane Irene forced many rats out of their hiding places.
Then again, I've never been out at 2am in our neighborhood. Maybe this is a normal occurrence here :/
At least the sighting wasn't near the Gowanus Canal, or we could be talking toxic giant rats.
Update: Let's hope this reader is right:
The reader almost certainly describes an opossum, not a giant rat. I believe rats carry babies with their teeth, not clinging to their sides. You can see why one might think rat, though:
The Dish 