New York City Council passes bill to use birth control on rats

NEW YORK (PIX11) — The New York City Council voted Thursday to use birth control on rats.

According to the bill, a local rat contraceptive pilot program will begin 180 days after the bill is passed and will begin in a small section of the city.

“For no less than 12 months immediately after the deployment of the rat contraceptive, the department shall perform monthly inspections of each pilot program area and each pilot program comparison area,” read the newly passed bill . “During such monthly inspections of the pilot program areas, the department shall track the amount of rat contraceptive in each rat contraceptive dispenser.”

The pilot program is inspired by New York City’s beloved Flaco the owl, who died earlier this year with rat poison in his system.

New York City Council member Shaun Abreu, the bill’s sponsor, said he has worked with ContraPest, a type of birth control, to find a less harmful way to reduce the New York City rat population. Abreu also noted that other steps, such as having New Yorkers put trash in containers, will make the contraceptive more effective.

ContraPest has been utilized by the city in the past, but it was not practical, according to a veterinarian with over 12 years of experience who spoke to PIX11 News.

To read the full bill, you can go here .

Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here .

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