Unknown Residents of the City. A Report on Free-Living Rats

When we talk about animal protection in the city, we almost never talk about rats. We talk about hedgehogs, for whom shelters are built. About birds, for whom feeders are installed. About free-living cats, who are entitled to feeding and sterilisation.

Meanwhile, the animal that has perhaps adapted best to life alongside us – that understands our cities better than many people – does not appear in these discussions at all. The rat does not exist in our minds as a “resident of the city.” It functions as a problem. As a faulty element of infrastructure.

The first report of its kind in Poland

This report is the first in Poland to provide such a comprehensive study devoted to free-living rats – their biology, their place in culture, and their legal status.

It is an attempt to restore visibility to a species that has accompanied humans for centuries, and yet remains outside the boundaries of compassion or even interest. We show that the rat is a sentient animal – capable of suffering, fear, curiosity, attachment, and empathy.

The law says one thing. Practice – another.

Polish law protects all vertebrate animals from unnecessary suffering. In practice, however, methods of killing rats are still used that have little to do with humanitarian standards.

Killing animals for sanitary reasons can only be considered lawful when it is carried out in a humane manner. This is not a detail. It is a requirement.

An invitation to shift perspective

We believe this publication can become a starting point for a serious, substantive conversation – about ethics, law, and modern urban design. About coexistence that does not mean naivety, but responsibility.

The report brings together three perspectives:

• Part one – Behavioural: How do rats live in the wild? How do colonies function, how do they communicate, and what roles do they play in urban ecosystems?
• Part two – Social: How do we perceive rats, and why do they evoke such strong emotions? How do stereotypes, language, and history shape our attitudes toward these animals?
• Part three – Legal: What is the legal status of free-living rats under Polish law? What are the legal frameworks for rat control, and what responsibilities lie with municipalities and private companies?

The report is an invitation to reflect. It shows that a rat is not humanity’s enemy, but its co-inhabitant. The goal is to shift the narrative — from fear to understanding, from extermination to managing coexistence.

The English-language versions of parts two and three will be published here soon.