It’s muskrat love on Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal.
The upscale residents of nearby Carroll Gardens have purebred dogs. And now the hipster houseboaters on the waterway have their own pet — a cute, upscale rat (above).
The newcomer’s neighbors are overjoyed.
“This is fantastic,” said Eymund Diegel. “His arrival was an unexpected, but pleasant, surprise. We love having him here. And we’d love to see more muskrats come to the canal.”
But other muskrats might want to think twice before accepting the invitation.
The canal, an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site, has often been described as a cesspool.
Hans Hesselein, director of special projects for the Gowanus Canal Conservancy, admitted that any creature living in the waterway will have a shorter life expectancy than one living in a clean environment.
But nonetheless, he described the muskrat’s appearance as “great news.”
“It indicates the canal has broader habitat appeal than we thought,” Hesselein said.
Diegel said the muskrat can be the canal’s new “Superfund mascot.”
He proposed naming it “GoGo” — to inspire chants of “Go Go Gowanus!” during the cleanup efforts.
Diegel suspects the muskrat is living on mussels — not the ones served in local Italian restaurants, but those growing in the canal.
The muskrat, an adorable furry rodent, was first spotted by Adam Katzman, a resident of a houseboat docked at First and Bond streets.
The animal was building a nest with weed remnants of a floating garden Katzman is growing in the canal as part of a project to promote wildlife by adding oxygen.
Longtime neighborhood residents say they can’t remember a muskrat ever being spotted in the waterway.
Excluding rats, the Gowanus supports little wildlife.
But there have been exceptions, including visiting herons and sea gulls.
A harp seal, named Gowanda by the community, was rescued from the canal in 2003.
And in 2007, a baby whale spent two days swimming by the canal’s entrance before dying.
But not from the pollution. He hit his head on a rocky ridge near 22nd Street.