"For New York Rats, a Question of Sink Or Swim"

"As Hurricane Sandy pushed floodwater through New York's streets and into its subways, many wondered how the city's infamous rat population would fare -- sink or swim?"

"For some, the deluge that accompanied Sandy raised fears of a "ratpocalypse," with the city's least glamourous residents crawling in their thousands up out of their subterranean habitats and into the streets.

Others pondered the possibility of a grim "rat soup," imagining dozens of the rodents drowned and floating along on the tide of water that swept into the city's subway stations."

AFP had the story October 31, 2012.