A leader in one Massachusetts community is proposing a unique response to a rat problem: birth control.
Braintree Town Councilor Elizabeth Maglio says the rat population is the top complaint she gets from residents.
"It's the most common issue that is raised from people who are talking about quality of life," she said.
And now, she's researched a solution.
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"It is birth control for rats," she said.
Maglio has just introduced a bill to bring birth control to the rat population.
"If you can stop that reproductive cycle, you don't get the colonies, you don't get the infestations, you don't get the problematic issues of rats that are out of control," she said.
More on rats
Maglio says the birth control proposal will be looked into to make sure it's effective, humane and affordable, and that it doesn't impact other animals. But a new pest control plan is needed.
"It's jarring, it's scary, it's unsettling," she said. "If you can see 10, what about all the ones that you can't see?"
