ratbox

If you’re like me, then you thought for several years that this box–like many of the other green plastic boxes that line the streets–was a giant rat trap. If you’re not like me, then you’re probably wondering how the heck I came to that conclusion. Since my gut instinct was that it was meant for poisoning and/or trapping rats, I never got too close. I didn’t poke at it or look carefully to see that there’s no way for rats to get inside.

Back in the summer, I was walking with a friend, and I made a joke about the rat trap. This is when it was finally explained to me that these boxes are actually are. If you don’t know, it’s written directly on the top. I’m sure I would have seen that if I was not so worried about getting my face chewed off by an angry rat.

When I learned that these were telecommunications boxes, I was a little disappointed that the city was not as vigilant as I thought it was about rodents.