Expand / Collapse search
☰

Rat birth control? Chicago tries poison-free fix for its rodent problem

By
Published  July 17, 2025 4:50pm CDT
Chicago
FOX 32 Chicago
Rat birth control? Chicago tries poison-free fix for its rodent problem

Rat birth control? Chicago tries poison-free fix for its rodent problem

Chicago is expanding its fight against rats — and it's not using poison. A North Side alderman is launching a pilot program that will use rat contraceptives to tackle the city’s growing rodent problem.

The Brief

    • Chicago is launching a yearlong pilot program in the 43rd Ward using non-toxic contraceptive pellets to reduce rat populations without harming wildlife.
    • The $40,000 initiative is a partnership between Ald. Timmy Knudsen, the Lincoln Park Zoo, the Chicago Bird Alliance, and city sanitation officials.
    • Researchers will monitor rat behavior using cameras, comparing activity in areas with and without the pellets to measure effectiveness.

CHICAGO - Chicago is expanding its fight against rats — and it's not using poison. A North Side alderman is launching a pilot program that will use rat contraceptives to tackle the city’s growing rodent problem.

What we know:

Chicago has topped the list as America’s "rattiest city" for nine straight years, but Ald. Timmy Knudsen hopes a new initiative can help turn things around.

Knudsen introduced a resolution for what he calls the "Rat Contraceptive Pilot," a yearlong test using non-toxic, peanut butter-scented pellets designed to reduce rat reproduction without killing the animals or harming local wildlife.

The pilot — to take place in the 43rd Ward — is a partnership between Knudsen’s office, the Lincoln Park Zoo, the Chicago Bird Alliance and the Department of Streets and Sanitation. The $40,000 needed for the program was privately raised.

Researchers will deploy the contraceptive pellets in three designated "experiment" blocks and compare results to three nearby "control" blocks where no pellets are used. Scientists from the Lincoln Park Zoo will monitor camera footage to observe how rats interact with the bait.

"There are going to be scientists from the Lincoln Park Zoo who are watching the camera footage to see how the rats are interacting with the pellets. We wanna make sure that what's been shown in other cities is the same here, which is that the rats don't start avoiding the pellet. The beauty of this kind of program is compared to rodenticide, which is the city's current strategy. Rats don't avoid it. They know what happens with rodenticide. They've seen it from their rat friends. In this case, they're smelling this peanut butter pellet. They want it over and over and it just naturally will cut down on rat procreation," said Knudsen. 

What's next:

A similar program launched in Bucktown and Wicker Park in April. Results from that effort are expected by the end of July.

The contraceptive pilot in the 43rd Ward is scheduled to begin in early August.

The Source

  • The information in this article was reported by FOX 32's Tia Ewing. 

ChicagoPets and AnimalsNews