Jean-Roch Gaillet, head of veterinary services for the Paris police force, explained: "The campaign period - May and June - is chosen because reproduction is at its peak during this time."
The Paris council has a team of ten staff whose work is to keep the numbers of rats, mice and pigeons down.
The rat-catching purge of the city starts with an information campaign to make the public aware of the problem and anyone who won’t comply with the policies and recommendations, including keeping premises clean and disposing of rubbish properly, face fines.
