This summer the Louvre is featuring an extra added attraction for visitors who linger in the Carrousel and Tuilerie Gardens—a herd of rats. Not quite as cute and cuddly as the cast of Ratatouille, these rodents have proliferated throughout the gardens to the extent that they are brazenly approaching picnickers and waiting for leftovers in broad daylight.

The museum has engaged a private pest control firm to address the problem, but in the meantime tourists will have to share the lawns and gardens with the rats.

photos © Xavier Francolon