ContraPest Controls Rat Population in Washington, D.C., by Targeting Fertility, Breaks Down Rapidly for Pets, Said Company
SenesTech, a developer of proprietary technologies for managing animal pest populations through fertility control, announced today that the District of Columbia will be using its ContraPest product after a multi-month pilot program which showed the product was effective in reducing rat populations in conjunction with an integrated pest management program deployed by DC Health.
ContraPest is designed, formulated and dispensed to be low hazard for handlers and non-target species such as wildlife, livestock and pets, where the active ingredients break down rapidly.
“SenesTech understands the challenges of controlling rat populations for communities like Washington, D.C.,” said Ken Siegel, CEO of SenesTech. “We believe results from the pilot program in cooperation with DC Health demonstrated the value of fertility management in reducing rat populations. We are pleased to support DC Health to scale their program to additional neighborhoods throughout the District.”
“As the District enters each phase of re-opening due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, there is a risk for the sudden surge of food in restaurant districts and parks which could lead to growing rat problems,” said Gerard Brown, Program Manager for DC Health’s Rodent and Vector Control Division. “The results from our ongoing pilot program with ContraPest is encouraging and gives me confidence that an expanded deployment can help DC Health control this risk.”
Dr. Steve Krause, EVP of Sales and Marketing said, “A four month study using videography showed rat populations declined between 51 to 88 percent in the sites where ContraPest was deployed. We are extremely excited to be able to contribute to the success of our partnership with DC Health through an expanded deployment. We believe ContraPest when used within an integrated pest management program can help municipalities achieve their long-term, sustainable goals for rodent control.”
To help the District scale rapidly, SenesTech is providing approximately 4,500 tanks of ContraPest on a complimentary basis and Pestmaster Services, SenesTech’s local distributor, will be providing storage and has offered deployment assistance. Krause said, “We want to help Washington, D.C., get ahead of the potential surge as quickly as possible. Since they were willing to be an earlier adopter of our product, we feel that this is our way of giving back in a time of crisis.”