Birth control for rats? PETA suggests solution for Philadelphia’s rat issue
By Caroline Goggin
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PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — As Philadelphia officials look to tackle the issue of rat infestations throughout the city, PETA is suggesting a new option: birth control.
In a letter penned to the mayor and city council, PETA representatives said the birth control would make the rodents infertile and prevent them from getting pregnant. The goal, PETA says, is to reduce the rat population over time.
Action News spoke with Jakob Shaw, PETA’s Manager of Strategic Initiatives.
He said his organization has already seen birth control become an important part of integrated pest management programs across the country.
“The city of Baltimore’s Department of Public Works reported this year that the pilot with rodent fertility control products was so successful that it’s being expanded citywide,” Shaw explained.
However, he said the first priority in Philadelphia, and in rat-infested spots across the country, needs to be cleaning up city streets.
“As long as people are leaving garbage to rot in alleyways and city streets, we’re basically just rolling out the red carpet for rats,” Shaw said. “Rather than a rat czar, what cities really need is a trash czar to make sure that the food and trash that’s bringing the rodents into areas in the first place is made inaccessible to them.”
Philadelphia’s Health Department declined an interview about the issue. Instead, a spokesperson released this statement:
“The Health Department does not use birth control as part of our vector control activities and have no plans to. Simply put, there’s no research to show that it works to lower rat populations. On the other hand, there is oodles of research showing that IPM, or integrated pest management, works to reduce rat populations in both the short- and long-term. In terms of integrated pest management, we work with residents to reduce the food and water supply, harborage, and hiding places, which has been proven time and again to naturally reduce the number of rats over time.”
Erica Sanchez, the owner of Roman Shield Pest Control, said the rat problem is getting worse, especially in Northeast Philadelphia.
“We have a real public health concern right now. Rats carry diseases; they spread illnesses. So we need to make sure we get this issue under control,” Sanchez said. “And bait boxes are going to be one of those treatment plans that are necessary.”
Sanchez showed Action News one of the bait boxes and explained how exactly they are used in neighborhoods throughout the city.
“So there’s a little hole on the side, and they will crawl through this,” she said. “You’re going to see here – this is poison. It’s rodenticide. So mice, rats, come inside of here, eat the bait, and then they’re going to die off.”
Sanchez said it typically takes four to 10 days for rats to die after ingesting the poison.
She said while people express concern about using the bait boxes, they are currently the most common and effective way to reduce the rat population.
However, she said using birth control could be a solid long-term solution to address the issue.
“I’m open to the idea more for long-term prevention. It’s not going to do anything for us today. It’s not going to solve the immediate issue at hand right now,” she said. “That birth control, it’s going to take months, years before we can see any effect with it.”
Right now, she said the city needs to collaborate with residents to conquer the problem with a combination of trapping, baiting and birth control. The key, according to Sanchez, is for people to seal up entry points to their homes and to make sure their trash and food are inaccessible.
“We have to consider what is making these rats thrive. What are the sources keeping them alive? And then we need to go and eradicate those sources.”
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