New York is launching its latest salvo in the city's war on rats - by putting them on the pill.
In a bold new effort to tackle Manhattan's infamous pest problem, city officials have approved a pilot programme that aims to control the rodent population with birth control. Starting next year, contraceptive pellets will be placed in rat-friendly traps in a section of Manhattan. Once ingested, it will make them infertile.
The product, Contrapest, is made by Senestech. It promises to reduce rat numbers without the environmental hazards of traditional poisons. According to the company, each dose prevents rats from reproducing for 45 days, and regular consumption can reduce the population by 95 per cent. The idea is simple: stop them from breeding faster than they can be exterminated.
The plan will reduce the existing poison-resistant rat population. Contrapest induces a kind of menopause in female rats and cuts sperm production in males, all without posing a risk to other animals or the ecosystem. The city plans to monitor the bait traps monthly to see how the rats respond.
The year-long pilot scheme has been dubbed "Flaco's Law" because it was inspired by the city's famous Flaco, the owl. The bird captured the hearts of New Yorkers last year by escaping from the city's zoo and staying free for a year before being found dead in February with rat poison in his system.
According to pest control firm MMPC, an estimated three million rats make New York their home. The firm based the figure on a widely quoted 2014 study by Jonathan Auerbach and its methodology. New York has long been famous for its infestation problem, even more so in the age of social media, as users post videos of rats scurrying around the city.
Anyone curious to learn more about rats can take rat tours. Last year, the city appointed its first rat tsar, Kathleen Corradi, tasked with tackling "public enemy No. 1."
