\u201cAmerica\u2019s rattiest city\u201d by Orkin Pest Control<\/a>. The city really wants to shake off the title \u2014 and a new effort in the Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods could help do just that.<\/p>\nA temporary pilot project, announced late last month, is bringing rat birth control to the alleyways behind several of the major commercial and residential areas in the two neighborhoods. The program is sponsored by the Wicker Park Chamber of Commerce and the Special Service Area No. 33.<\/p>\n
The project will last for three months with the option for a longer-term extension, and could reduce the neighborhoods\u2019 rodent population by targeting the creature\u2019s superpower: making lots of babies.<\/p>\n
\u2018A human control method\u2019<\/h3>\n The product, a solid pellet shaped like a sausage, being deployed in Wicker Park and Bucktown is called Evolve, and was developed by Arizona-based company SenesTech.<\/p>\n
Evolve\u2019s active ingredient, cottonseed oil, impacts fertility in both male and female rats without causing them harm, said Bryan DiMenna, SenesTech\u2019s vice president of sales. It\u2019s been labeled a \u201clow-risk pesticide\u201d by the EPA, meaning it poses little to no risk to human health or the environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a humane control method, not just for the rats but for all the other animals in the ecosystem,\u201d DiMenna said. \u201cIt\u2019s also not damaging anything, poisoning the water supply and has a minimal impact on the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s in contrast to rat poison, long a go-to choice for managing rodents. Poison can lead to a particularly brutal death for any animal ingesting it, according to Maureen Murray, who leads the Chicago Rat Project at the Lincoln Park Zoo. The most common poisons stop the body\u2019s blood from clotting so that the animal bleeds to death, either from an internal or external wound.<\/p>\n
\u201cRat poison is a really big issue for biodiversity,\u201d Murray said. \u201cThese rats have poison in their bodies and they are running around being hunted by owls, hawks, foxes and other urban wildlife.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the same time, poison is becoming less effective as rats have not only learned to avoid it, but some have even developed a resistance to it. Murray conducted a study that tested 100 alive-and-well rats caught in Chicago alleys and found that 75% had the poison in their system. And because they reproduce monthly and have short lifespans, Murray explained, it\u2019s easier for rats to develop genetic resistance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t tell someone to coexist with rats and just put up with it, but they are animals and they are intelligent,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen we think about different types of abatement, it\u2019s to go with something that doesn\u2019t torture the animal and doesn\u2019t affect the ecosystem as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n
Enter birth control. Similar to the human pill, the rats have to continuously eat the birth control in order for it to be effective.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a cumulative effect with it,\u201d DiMenna said. \u201cWe found a 61% decrease in birth rates in the first gestation cycle, so that\u2019s a severe reduction in the litter. And within several cycles the rates drop down further, and eventually stops their breeding.\u201d<\/p>\n
And because birth control is temporary, they\u2019re not going to develop a resistance to it because it\u2019s not killing them or permanently altering them, Murray said.<\/p>\n
\u201cContraceptives are good because rats have evolved to reproduce really quickly. So slowing down the population makes more sense than trying to kill them all really quickly and is more effective in the long run,\u201d Murray said. <\/p>\n
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\n <\/p>\n<\/picture>\n\nCity rat poisoning signs on a pole in an alleyway near the 5800 block of North Kenmore Avenue in Edgewater on the North Side, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\u2018Just do your part\u2019<\/h3>\n The birth control has been placed in alleys along North Avenue between Damen and Ashland Avenues, Ashland Avenue between North Avenue and Division Street, Milwaukee Avenue between Division Street and Damen Avenue and Division Street between Ashland and Damen Avenues. SenesTech will return in a couple weeks to put out the birth control along the residential alleys in that area, DiMenna said.<\/p>\n
The city previously used a form of SenesTech-produced rat birth control called ContraPest, the Sun-Times reported in 2017<\/a>. That came in a liquid form and was challenging to administer. The city has also tried using dry ice to kill rats.<\/p>\nThe Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation did not respond to requests for comment on the city\u2019s efforts to manage rodents. <\/p>\n
Managing the city\u2019s rat population has clear benefits. Keeping the rat population low prevents the spread of certain diseases like leptospirosis, a serious bacterial infection spread through urine that can be fatal for humans and especially dogs. <\/p>\n
Humans also have a responsibility to manage the rat population. Trash is the main attractant for rats, especially open and overflowing cans in residential and commercial alleys. <\/p>\n
\u201cJust do your part; pick up after yourself,\u201d DiMenna said. \u201cIf you see trash, pick it up. Keep your bins closed. Don\u2019t wait till tomorrow.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n