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Rats. Seriously, not many words can make me shudder like this.

They breed like crazy – each female can bear nearly 100 rats each and every year. And it’s not just because New York City is an exciting place to be, it’s just the way they are built.

But, NYC needs some rats, because they are territorial and so if all rats were to die, others would just move in. So they need to keep some rats alive. Experts believe that 2 or 3 rats for every 200 square foot trash room is enough to keep the balance and that’s then their goal.

So, what to do… the Metropolitan Transport Authority is starting a pilot program that will sterilize female rats, working with an Arizona company who produces a product called Senes.

[The product,] ContraPest is made up of mostly salt, sugar, fat, and two active ingredients—an industrial chemical and and an herb. The product will be placed inside bait boxes outfitted to monitor rat traffic. The boxes will be set up in locked subway platform trash rooms, where garbage is kept until trash trains take it away.

Ugh. Now what to do about the cockroaches.

For more see: Business Week.

More stories about animals.

Photo credit: Eric Isselée – Fotolia.com