New York City is considering feeding contraceptives to rats to manage their population. According to the New York Times, the city authorities recommended the idea after an escaped zoo owl named Flaco died from rat poison.
On Thursday, City Council Member Shaun Abreu, chair of the Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management, introduced a new bill to deal with millions of rats lurking in subway stations and empty lots by using birth control instead of the lethal chemicals used in glue traps and rat poison, which cause slow death.
The new bill will require the city’s health department to distribute salty pellets that sterilize both male and female rats as part of a pilot
According to local officials, neither traps nor poison bait have reduced rat populations. Previously, authorities attempted to give the rodents contraception, but the rats prevailed. The City Council is now planning to try again, citing advances in rodent birth control and trash storage, according to the site.
The new bill will require the city’s health department to distribute salty pellets that sterilize both male and female rats as part of a pilot program. Officials will cover two communities within “rat mitigation” zones, as well as at least 10 city blocks. Mr. Abreu introduced the bill, claiming that it would be more effective.
“We believe that we need to take a shock-and-awe approach to the rat problem by throwing everything we have at it,” he said, as per the Times. “Birds of prey shouldn’t have to eat rats that have rodenticide,” he added.
Officials intend to use ContraPest, a rat contraceptive licensed by the Environmental Protection Agency
According to Fox News, rat contraceptives will prevent female rats from ovulating and disturb male rats’ sperm development. The pellets are made from an extract that has been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis in humans for decades. According to experts, salty pellets are believed to be so appealing to rats that they will not seek food anywhere else.
Officials intend to use ContraPest, a rat contraceptive licensed by the Environmental Protection Agency. According to Dr. Loretta Mayer, the doctor who developed the contraceptive, the pellets are high in fat and salt and are so tasty that rats prefer them over foraging through trash. “It’s better than pizza,” she explained.
This mixture is not intended to harm other animals or humans because it is particularly formulated for rats, according to specialists. It’s both humane and effective. “The approach is to feed them, not bait them. But while you’re feeding them, you block their reproduction,” Dr Mayer explained.
