New York is combating its rat problem with devices that lure rats with food into boxes that contain trap doors and dunk them into a fatal alcoholic substance.
The city will implement the device called Ekomille, created by Rat Trap Inc., in Brooklyn after a month-long trial run killed 107 rodents, Borough President Eric Adams said at a press conference Thursday, The New York Times reported.
Rats climb a ladder on the device that leads them to food, at which point a sensor opens a trap door that drops the rats into a bucket of natural alcoholic solution that holds 80 rat carcasses and prevents them from rotting too quickly.
Talked to reporter yesterday about the new dunk trap they’re using for rats in Brooklyn. As with many such stories, there are no shortcuts to rat management. Requires a dedicated approach to reducing access to garbage and nesting sites, not just killing https://t.co/J5pD3NOO8X
— Jason Munshi-South (@urbanevol) September 6, 2019
“This rat infestation problem is something that is becoming too pervasive,” Adams said, referencing thousands of complaints from Brooklyn residents about rats in 2018, New York Daily News reported.
“It causes diseases, fever, vomiting, diarrhea and other problems to everyday Brooklynites: rats biting our children, rats inside households — just a real problem with rats in the city,” he continued.
New York City has a new plan to tackle its rat problem: Drowning them in a tank of alcohol https://t.co/1qNIE8KTh1
— News Insider (@insidernews) September 6, 2019
“When you look at the mechanism, you see why this cost-effective, humane treatment has shown us the way to really address this issue of rat infestation in the city,” Adams added. (RELATED: Baltimore Sun Calls Trump A ‘Rat’ In Response To President’s Tweets About The City)
A description of the box on Rat Trap Inc.’s website reads, “The rodent feels safe and secure within the device. The transparent cover provides natural light. The natural, non-toxic solution in the tank renders the rodent instantly unconscious.”
The city, which is the third-most rat-infested city in the U.S., according to a 2017-2018 Orkin study, introduced a $32 million program to cut its rat population by 70% by 2018 in 2017.
“We refuse to accept rats as a normal part of living in New York City,” Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a 2017 statement, but rats have persisted in their occupation of the city, NYT reported.
NYC Mayor de Blasio spent $32 million for his rat extermination campaign, but rat sightings continue to increase. https://t.co/GX0HzO6pOj pic.twitter.com/i1JOYU7xQY
— OpenTheBooks (@open_the_books) September 5, 2019
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