Experts estimate that there are two rats for every person in Paris and most of them, it seems, have taken up residence in one of the city’s favourite tourist spots – the Tuileries gardens outside the Louvre museum, reports FRANCE 24.
The gardens have become infested by the furry vermin which can often be seen scampering across the grass or along hedgerows in full daylight, just yards from picnicking or sunbathing tourists and locals.
Traore Massamba, who works in maintenance in the Tuileries gardens, says he sees around ten or fifteen rats every day.
“There are a lot of people who come here to have a picnic and they leave their leftovers, so I think it attracts them."
For visitors to the gardens, who come to enjoy the open spaces and picturesque surroundings in one of the few oases of tranquility in the bustling French capital, the sight of the increasingly bold rodents can be a shock.
"Now that we've seen one, it disgusts us," declared 19-year-old student Alexandre, as she enjoyed the gardens with her friend Ken.
Ken, 22, is more sanguine. "We're not far from the banks of the river. It's warm. They come for food," he said, a bowl of rice in one hand.
"As long as they don't come up to me, it doesn't bother me," he added.
Despite efforts by city and Louvre museum officials to keep the gardens clean, mounting rubbish left behind by its many visitors is a serious problem, particularly in the summer months.
"There's so much rubbish, it's quite dirty. There are cigarette stubs everywhere and leftover food," said Ariane Dalle, an artistic director who works nearby and regularly has her lunch in the gardens.
Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.