Contraceptive pellets will be placed in special rat-accessible traps starting next year, in New York, aiming to lower their numbers humanely without endangering other animals or the environment.
The containers will be checked every month to see how much is left, in order to gauge how the rodents are taking to the product, called Contrapest.
Senestech, the company that makes the plant-based product, claims it prevents rats from reproducing for 45 days per dose, reducing populations humanely without endangering other animals or the environment.
Senestech said it’s a more effective long-term solution to rat infestations than rodenticides, because their birth rate will always exceed the death rate.
Reports suggest that an estimated three million rats make New York their home.