New rat birth control program to launch in Chicago’s Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods following Orkin’s rattiest city designation

CHICAGO (WLS) — For the tenth consecutive year, Orkin dubbed Chicago the “rattiest” city in America in 2024.

Now, there is a new approach: rat birth control.

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The Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a pilot program to try to control the neighborhoods’ rat population.

Rat birth control will be placed in bait boxes in alleys behind key commercial areas in Wicker Park and Bucktown starting on April 1st. This initiative aims to control the rat population effectively.

The birth control is an alternative to rat poison, which reportedly poses risks to pets and the environment.

Chicago isn’t the first major city to try this method. New York City was ranked third rattiest by Orkin.

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WISDOM Good Works will collaborate with New York City to oversee the distribution of rat birth control. This partnership is crucial in managing and ensuring the success of the program.

Alaina Gonzalez-White, the operations director at WISDOM Good Works, explained that the birth control is designed specifically for rats. It targets their reproductive system, ensuring that any animal consuming a rat will not be exposed to harmful toxins. This method offers a more humane approach to pest control.

PETA supports the initiative.

ABC News contributed to this report.

READ ALSO | Chicago holds title of rattiest city in America for 10th year in a row by Orkin pest control