Chicago tries new rat control strategy: Birth control

CHICAGO - Chicago is rolling out a new strategy to tackle its persistent rat problem—birth control.

What we know:

The city’s latest effort includes placing bait boxes filled with a contraceptive in alleys behind major commercial areas in Wicker Park and Bucktown.

The goal is to curb the rat population without using poison, which can harm other animals and the environment.

Alice Howe of Special Service Area (SSA) Number 33, the organization funding the initiative, explained that the contraceptive is contained in small, sausage-like bait similar to what’s already used in traditional rat poison boxes.

"And we will be monitoring them every week," she said.

The program will run for three months to assess its effectiveness.

What we don't know:

It’s unclear, at this point, if the city will expand the program beyond Wicker Park and Bucktown if it proves effective.