There’s probably nothing about city life more stereotypically wholesome than the sight of an elderly patron snug on a public park bench feeding the birds (or maybe even some squirrels). So, prepare to be amazed by the corrupting power of billionaire wealth to pervert this classic retirement hobby.
Local officials in Chicago’s 43rd Ward have accused 94-year-old electronics billionaire Barre Seid of creating a “public health hazard” by hiring goons to “place nuts, seeds and other foods” around his home and nearby Lincoln Park, according to a city document reported by Axios. Seid’s delegated recreational feeding of local wildlife, according to the city, has attracted “flocks of pigeons, whose droppings have in turn attracted a significant rat infestation” in the three years that the billionaire has been funding this dubious animal welfare program.
Seid—a notorious recluse best known for donating his entire $1.6 billion electronics company to fund “attack philanthropy” that promotes climate change denialism and other right-wing causes—has reportedly paid every fine thrown at him to deter his intervention into Lincoln Park’s ecosystem. And, to be clear, his contract operatives are not merely tossing out bread crumbs and a little bit of trail mix but large canvas bags’ worth of snacks.
“When I describe this to people, this gets into the stranger than fiction aspect of it,” Lincoln Park resident Caroline Novak told Chicago’s WGN-TV last month. “It’s like a luxury melange of really nice nuts.”
“I’m talking Brazil nuts, walnuts […] I’m no arborist, but these do not come from these trees,” according to Novak, who was apparently one of the first to spot Seid’s paid nut-distributors in action. “These are not acorns.”
Nuts about nuts (as well as seeds and legumes)
Beyond the city of Chicago’s own explanation, high-density foods like nuts and seeds tend to attract rats even before pigeons get involved.
Nuts, peanuts, and seeds pack substantial amounts of fats, protein, and other nutrients into a small package and have a long shelf life. When available in large, reliable quantities, they can encourage rats to nest nearby and rear young, according to pest control specialist Keith Chaloux.
And the problem can get out of control pretty fast, as Chaloux found in 2021 when his Oregon-based pest control company compiled data from 37 rodent management services across the Portland area for a presentation to the public-private Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium (UERC).
“Rats only need about 8 weeks to reproduce,” as Chaloux explained in a factsheet that year. “Then they have a litter of 8-12 babies, more if conditions are favorable.”
“So this means a local rat population can increase tenfold every two months if high protein nourishment is consistently available to them.”
Rat king
Timmy Knudsen, the alderperson representing the 43rd Ward on Chicago’s city council, told reporters that Seid has not only ignored fines, tickets, and other warnings to call off his contracted nut-and-seed-disseminating subordinates but has defiantly scaled up operations. Both residents and news crews have photographed these men walking around the park with large, army green shoulder bags loaded with fancy trail mix for the local wildlife.
“We’ve never dealt with a situation where it’s like feed for hire,” Knudsen told WGN-TV. “We don’t want to throw anyone under the bus. We just want to stop this feeding that’s causing problems in a dense neighborhood.”
A letter sent by Knudsen late last month has given the billionaire 15 days to stop feeding the park’s animals and demanded that he or his hired help secure all garbage in rodent-resistant containers alongside other “corrective measures against the harborage to rats.” Seid reportedly has not responded.
