Tropical birds and other exotic animals are occasionally sighted in NYC, and with such a large, varied population, one will even catch some outrageous scenes, like the guy who has a large snake, macaw, and small alligator (click here) or a huge spectacular Albino Burmese Python slithering on the ground in Central Park (click here). I also saw two magnificent macaws on Earth Day earlier this year.

The person in today’s photo was an audience member (as was I) attending a free performance by Circus Amok (see previous posting here). The birds were extremely charming and got their share of attention – no surprise in light of their cute antics and the brightly colored plumage of tropical birds. The gray bird is a Congo African Grey Parrot. The larger of the two on the owner’s shoulder is a an Eclectus Parrot; the smaller is a Hans Mini Macaw (owned by his girlfriend).

As enticing as these birds are, the point here is not to promote the ownership of exotic animals. The entire subject is controversial, not only with issues of birds being taken from the wild but also with domestically raised birds – some individuals have concerns with keeping birds in cages or other confined environments. Also, of course, comes the responsibility and commitment – birds can form bonds with their owners, and they can be destructive and need training. And then there is a very different kind of bird…

Meet Oscar at work. Oscar is a Miniature Schnauzer who lives in the Village. Unfortunately, we have a quite visible rat population in Washington Square Park, particularly at night. They are frequently seen even out in the open, near people, away from bushes, skittering about. The numbers of rats fluctuates, largely depending on the Parks Department’s efforts at baiting and picking up trash, which is a big attraction to rats. Trash pickup is never adequate, as I wrote in Garbage a la Mode. Oscar goes crazy when set loose in the shrubbery of the park – he has caught and killed as many as 10-20 rats in one evening. He will chase them, dig for them, track them around trash cans – he is relentless, tireless, and tenacious in ferreting them out. However, rats are quite astute and can hear him coming. His owner, Andrea, has at times experimented by removing his tags. He then becomes a formidable stealth ratter and his success rate soars.

Schnauzers were originally bred in Germany in the 1800s as “ratters” to keep down the vermin around farms. Miniature Schnauzers are the result of crossbreeding of the Standard Schnauzer to produce a smaller version that could live more easily as a house pet but still hunt vermin. This breed is the 10th most popular in the United States and is well-suited to city apartment living.

Imagine Oscar at the Karni Mata temple in Deshnoke, Rajasthan, India, where rats are worshipped and 20,000 or so run loose. The temple pays tribute to the rat goddess, Karni Mata. Click here for an extensive article. I don’t really recommend it, but if you have the stomach for it, see a video here…