New York aims to control rat population through birth control measures
New York is launching an initiative to manage its rat population using contraceptives rather than poison, a strategy designed to prevent harm to other animals. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
New York has initiated a trial program aimed at decreasing the city’s rat population without resorting to poison. Beginning next year, contraceptive pellets will be placed in special containers that are accessible to rats in various neighborhoods throughout the city.
Supporters of this strategy believe it will effectively and humanely diminish the rat population while safeguarding other animals and the environment. If successful, the rats will consume the contraceptive, leading to sterilization and ultimately, a reduction in their reproduction rates.
The initiative has been named ‘Flaco’s Law’ in honor of an owl that escaped from a city zoo last year and was later found deceased with rat poison in its system, as reported by local media.
“We can’t poison our way out of this, we cannot kill our way out of this,” stated City Council member Shaun Abreu when he introduced the bill in April.
Over the course of a 12-month pilot program, inspectors will conduct monthly assessments to monitor the consumption of the pellets across the neighborhoods involved.
“During such monthly inspections of the pilot-program areas, the department shall track the amount of rat contraceptive in each rat contraceptive dispenser,” the bill's provisions specify.
Senestech, the manufacturer of the plant-based product Contrapest, asserts that each dose effectively prevents rats from reproducing for a period of 45 days, thereby reducing the population in a humane manner without putting other animals or the environment at risk.
New York City has a longstanding reputation for its rat issue, with an estimated three million rodents inhabiting the area, according to pest-control firm MMPC, which based this estimate on a 2014 study by Jonathan Auerbach.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has lauded what it described as an "innovative approach" to addressing the problem, commending the city for opting for “birth control over cruel, lethal methods such as poison and suffocation.”
Olivia Brown for TROIB News
Supporters of this strategy believe it will effectively and humanely diminish the rat population while safeguarding other animals and the environment. If successful, the rats will consume the contraceptive, leading to sterilization and ultimately, a reduction in their reproduction rates.
The initiative has been named ‘Flaco’s Law’ in honor of an owl that escaped from a city zoo last year and was later found deceased with rat poison in its system, as reported by local media.
“We can’t poison our way out of this, we cannot kill our way out of this,” stated City Council member Shaun Abreu when he introduced the bill in April.
Over the course of a 12-month pilot program, inspectors will conduct monthly assessments to monitor the consumption of the pellets across the neighborhoods involved.
“During such monthly inspections of the pilot-program areas, the department shall track the amount of rat contraceptive in each rat contraceptive dispenser,” the bill's provisions specify.
Senestech, the manufacturer of the plant-based product Contrapest, asserts that each dose effectively prevents rats from reproducing for a period of 45 days, thereby reducing the population in a humane manner without putting other animals or the environment at risk.
New York City has a longstanding reputation for its rat issue, with an estimated three million rodents inhabiting the area, according to pest-control firm MMPC, which based this estimate on a 2014 study by Jonathan Auerbach.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has lauded what it described as an "innovative approach" to addressing the problem, commending the city for opting for “birth control over cruel, lethal methods such as poison and suffocation.”
Olivia Brown for TROIB News
