They’re in a rat race to clean up their city — and have resorted to pill pushing.
Washington, DC is trying to crack down on its overpopulation of vermin by giving them birth control.
DC Health plans to place edible fertility control bait in problem areas, starting with the hot-spot neighborhood of Adams Morgan.
It will also employ the use of lethal bait.
“We’re gonna get the rat population down and then we’re gonna come back in three weeks to see if any of those babies survived and get them too,” DC Health Director Ayanna Bennett told News4.
Bennett also warned their program will not be effective if residents continue to litter, a habit Mayor Muriel Bowser hopes her constituents will kick to the curb.
“But, they cannot stay down if they find anything to eat. So that means everybody cannot be throwing food on the ground. The mayor doesn’t like it and it’s helping the rats. We don’t want your trash to be outside of the bin, if at all possible,” Bennett continued.
Residents seem to be content with the birth control initiative.
“Yes, fantastic! If it’s good enough for humans, then then it’s good enough for rats, I think. Like, why not? Get rid of them,” one told the outlet.
“Anything that they can do to help limit the rats I would probably be in favor of,” another added.
“I’ve never heard of it. I trust that the science is real. But if it is, the less rats in D.C. is a good thing.”
The health agency’s Rodent Control Division reported the influx of rats on its website.
The reasons for the increase, according to the agency, could include “new construction, milder winters over the past decade and trash not being stored properly.”