New York targets rat problem with birth control pellets
ContraPest is non-toxic and poses no risk to other animals or the environment, making it a safer alternative for managing the city's rat population.
Picture: Denitsa Kireva via pexels
Zain Johnson interviews Digital Content Editor Barbara Friedman about this and other online stories.
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New York is tackling its notorious rat problem with an innovative solution: birth control for rodents.
Under a plan approved by the city council, contraceptive pellets will be placed in specially designed traps throughout a targeted area of the city, starting next year.
The idea is that the rats will consume the pellets, leading to a significant reduction in their birth rate.
Containers holding the pellets will be monitored monthly to assess consumption levels and determine the effectiveness of the product, known as ContraPest.
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According to SenesTech, the company behind this plant-based contraceptive, this approach offers a more sustainable long-term solution to rat infestations compared to traditional rodenticides, which often fail because the rat population's birth rate typically surpasses the death rate.
Notably, ContraPest is non-toxic and poses no risk to other animals or the environment, making it a safer alternative for managing the city's rat population.
"It is a very humane way of trying to decrease the rat population and I really hope it works."
- Barbara Friedman
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