Humans have driven so many species to extinction—why don’t we just eradicate rats?

Ten thousand years ago, when humans began cultivating grains, stockpiling food, and settling down, a group of small rodents discovered that human settlements were ideal habitats: abundant food, water, and shelter (though they still had to do some ‘renovating’ themselves). Humans unwittingly helped protect them from many natural predators. Though these rodents were far weaker fighters than their wild counterparts, this did not hinder their proliferation. In a sense, the house mouse was the first animal ‘domesticated’ by humans. Early humans surely loathed these little creatures. Predator-based rodent control Fortunately, one of their natural predators—the cat—followed closely in their wake. Cats, too, found human settlements perfect living environments: plentiful food, water, and shelter. Humans also unintentionally shielded them from many predators. [Hmm, this sounds familiar.] The earliest cats were not pampered ‘lords’—they joined human communities as partners, not pets. Some dogs also developed rat-hunting skills—such as Sun Honglei (strike that), the bull terrier. Technological rodent control As human civilization advanced, so did our methods of rodent control—from simple traps and mousetraps to various poisons. According to an article published by Kepu China titled ‘Humans Can Conquer the Stars and Seas—but May Never Fully Tame This Animal’: In 1930, to combat rampant rat infestations on Rice Island, the New York City government even used mustard gas to ‘disinfect’ the entire island. In the late 1940s, scientists developed anticoagulants to treat human blood clots; soon after, these drugs were repurposed for rodent control—leading to thousands of tons being deployed across cities and rural areas. In the 1970s, humans even resorted to the highly toxic insecticide DDT against rats. Once humans mastered ultrasonic technology, they invented ultrasonic emitters, attempting to drive rats away with noise; Once humans developed contraceptive methods, they applied them to rats as well. A pest-control company named SenesTech has pursued fertility control as a strategy for effective rat management. It developed a liquid drug called ContraPest, which renders rats that consume it infertile. ‘Wildfires cannot burn them all; spring breezes bring them back anew.’ First, rats reproduce extremely rapidly: a single pair of adult rats can produce up to 15,000 offspring per year. Second, their generational turnover is exceptionally fast—rats are developing resistance to poisons, rendering rodenticides increasingly ineffective at curbing rat populations.

New York City is suffering a severe rat infestation—what should be done? Should we impose ‘family planning’ on rats?

News summary: New York City has long been associated with glamour and cosmopolitan energy. Yet, for a considerable period, it has grappled with serious rat infestations. On February 12, ABC published an article reporting on a series of new rat-control initiatives launched by New York City [1]. Original report: According to pest-control company Orkin, New York ranks third among U.S. cities in rat population (exceeding 3 million), behind only Los Angeles and Chicago. At the heart of this new initiative is Local Law No. 736—passed on September 26 last year—commonly known as the ‘Flaco Act,’ which seeks to replace traditional lethal poisons with contraceptives to manage rat overpopulation through non-lethal means. Starting April 26, New York City plans to deploy large quantities of rat-specific contraceptive drugs across neighborhoods severely affected by rat infestations. Developed by SenesTech, the drug suppresses female rats’ reproductive capacity for up to 45 days and poses no harm to non-target species. On January 21, Baltimore—one of America’s major seaport cities—also announced its adoption of SenesTech’s rodent fertility-control drug to tackle excessive rat reproduction and attempt to resolve its rat infestation problem at its root [2]. Background story: Beyond New York and Baltimore, numerous cities worldwide have seen worsening rat infestations in recent years. On January 31, a paper published in Science Advances offered fresh surveys and analyses on the current global status and underlying causes of rat infestations [3].

SenesTech Reports 36% Drop in Rat Calls After Chicago Evolve Pilot

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SenesTech reported an 88% reduction in rat activity intensity during its Chicago Evolve pilot, correlating with a 36% drop in rodent-related 311 calls. Deployment expanded to six areas following preliminary Q3 2026 revenue of $1.1 million.

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