Photo: Town of Swampscott
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The town of Swampscott is turning to rodent birth control to curb a town-wide rat problem.
For the pilot project, town officials are partnering with SenesTech, which makes Evolve Rodent Birth Control.
Deb Newman, president of Massachusetts nonprofit Speak Up For Animals, said she persuaded the town to use rodent birth control instead of traditional rat poison, which she said can lead to a painful death for rats and mice and make other animals eating the rodents sick.
The birth control is aimed at tackling the rat problem at the source. Two breeding rats can eventually lead to 15,000 rats in one year, according to SenesTech.
Bryan DiMenna, SenesTech’s vice president of sales, laid out the plan for controlling the town’s rat problem in a press release.
“Success is inevitable when three things happen: proper placement of bait stations; consistently timed bait replacement; and integrated pest management that includes public education regarding trash and other rodent attractants,” DiMenna said.
Corey, a local Swampscott resident, said he has no problem with the town’s new approach.
“Honestly I’m ok with it because if we have rats starting to get into our water supply or food supply, I think we’ll have other issues,” he said.
The city of Somerville also started using birth control to reign in the rat population earlier this year.
WBZ’s James Rojas (@JamesRojas.bsky.social) reports.