Rats are nothing new in Paris, but in recent months they’ve begun to frequent a previously unexplored hangout – the Louvre garden.

Rats are nothing new in Paris, but in recent months they’ve begun to frequent a previously unexplored hangout – the Louvre garden.

The place is popular among picnickers who feast on everything from Champagne to pate, and apparently the rats want in on the lush offerings.

Many visitors don’t bat an eye when the vermin scamper across their path or try to cozy up to them.

One patron quipped via Twitter, “Counted no fewer than a dozen rats…Maybe Ratatouille was making dinner?”

Others, of course, are not as light hearted about the Louvre’s newest residents.

Museum officials responsible for the grounds are beside themselves trying to eradicate the problem, as nothing seems to be working.

They’ve hired private exterminators, but results have yet to be seen.

One issue is, of course, the food that’s left behind by those who eat in the garden, which keeps the rats happy and determined to stay where they are.

Another is that animal activists are putting a great deal of effort into foiling the exterminators’ efforts, going so far as to dig poison out of the ground.

As of now, it’s looking like the rats are there to stay.