21-05-2025
New York implements innovative new strategy to reduce its 3 million-strong rat population: 'You can't let these rats run your life'
In the city where pizza rats are as famous as pigeons, New York is trying a new tactic in its long war against rodents: birth control.
Starting April 26, the city began distributing contraceptive pellets to rats in designated "rat mitigation zones," hoping to slow their explosive population growth, reported CBS News New York.
The pilot program will begin in Harlem and expand on broader efforts to control the pests more humanely and, hopefully, more effectively.
New York City ranked among the top three rattiest cities in the U.S. in 2024, with an estimated population of 3 million, according to pest control company Orkin. But extermination efforts, including rat poison, have come under fire for harming pets and wildlife — like Flaco the owl, who died last year after ingesting a poisoned rat.
In response, Councilmember Shaun Abreu led the passage of "Flaco's Law," which funds a new contraceptive program to target rats at the source.
"Two rats in a given year can reproduce 15,000 descendants," Abreu warned.
With help from the company WISDOM Good Works, the city will begin distributing fertility control pellets in high-traffic rat areas. Officials said the pellets are designed to disrupt reproduction in rats without poisoning the food chain.
Still, some residents remain skeptical. "They're not little babies no more," said Middle Village resident Cookie Barbara, who told CBS News New York she's considering hiring a private exterminator after seeing rats grow bolder in her neighborhood.
"You can't let these rats run your life," her neighbor Debbie said.
It's not just about squeamish sidewalk encounters. New York's rat boom is a public health issue rooted in deeper environmental problems.
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Population growth, aging infrastructure, poor waste management, and climate-change–driven urban shifts have created ideal conditions for rats. Warmer winters and overflowing trash provide rats with year-round food and shelter, helping them thrive.
Unchecked, rats can spread disease, contaminate food, and damage buildings. And as rodenticide use climbs, so does the risk to pets and predators that eat poisoned rats. The problem is as much about how we live — and throw away — as it is about the rats themselves.
Beyond the birth control rollout, the city has invested in trash containerization in neighborhoods like Harlem, cutting rat complaints by 55% in some areas. Education is another focus. Rat Czar Kathleen Corradi now hosts "Rat Walks" to teach New Yorkers how waste habits attract rats.
"The only way we are successful is getting an educated public change in behaviors and addressing those conditions that support rats. Extermination will always be a part of the conversation, but we know the long-term success relies on front-end equation, and that's where we're really focusing and empowering New Yorkers," Corradi told ABC News.
Residents can help by securing their trash, reporting infestations, and avoiding poison. Humane and preventative approaches, experts said, are the most sustainable path forward — for humans, animals, and ecosystems alike.
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