DC is putting rats on birth control

If you spend any time in D.C., you know rats are a problem.

“They be in the dumpsters. They be running in groups, like, two, three — a few too many,” one man told News4.

Another resident said said he’s downright afraid of them.

“There was a dead rat in my yard a couple of weeks ago and I had to call a friend to come over, and go in the back yard and get it for me. I can’t even look at it. It’s terrifying,” Steve Riskus said.

DC Health announced it’s going to trying something unusual to curb the rat population: birth control. The agency said it will put edible fertility control bait in areas prone to large numbers of rats.

Residents who spoke with News4 said they’re in favor of the strategy.

“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,” a woman told News4.

“Anything that they can do to help limit the rats I would probably be in favor of,” one man said. “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.”

In addition to edible birth control, D.C. will also use lethal bait in two forms, one that the rats will eat and the other a powder.

The city will start using the birth control and lethal bait in Adams Morgan, which is a hot spot for rats.

“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. 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,” DC Health Director Ayanna Bennett said.

DC Health says residents should call 311 to report any holes or burrows in their yards or a large concentration of rats.