Rome has begun to combat the rat problem around the Colosseum by organizing what the city’s head of waste collection, Sabrina Alfonsi, called a “special intervention”, writes Reuters. This includes setting traps and removing debris.

BBC News reports that Alfonsi said the rats congregated near the ancient site in part because of trash left by tourists, which has increased in numbers since the heat wave.

In several images on social media, rats can be seen roaming among garbage, plastic bottles and food scraps, with the sometimes surprised voices of tourists in the background.

Criticism of the district’s management also came from the La Liga party: “We have to clean up the city,” said senator Claudio Durigón and regional coordinator and municipal councilor Davide Bordoni. “Rome has turned into an open-air garbage dump,” Ansa reported, citing News.ro.

It is believed that there are approximately 7 million rats in the Italian capital. Special sanitary measures are in progress this week.