In the heart of Washington, D.C., there is a strange group of hunters, and their secret weapons are far from conventional. The problem they are trying to solve is the proliferation of rats in the city, which has been on the radar for years, but has strengthened again after the easing of coronavirus restrictions. ChatGPT helps us tell about the problem of the US capital:
As of July 2023, the local administration has received nearly 11,000 rat calls, a significant jump from the previous year. In an attempt to eradicate the pests, the Ratscallions, a group of rat hunters, were formed to address the problem with a unique approach: contrary to popular belief that the most reliable rat hunters are cats, they bring their best friends – dogs, especially terriers, to work.
The basis for using terriers as rat hunters actually makes a lot of sense: they were historically grown for the purpose of hunting small mammals. Linda Freeman, leader of Ratscallions, breeder and breeder of Bedlington Terriers, decided to put her canine skills to the test. "If I'm going to advertise this dog as a good, high-quality Bedlington, he needs to be able to do his job," she explains. And so, the journey of these unconventional rat hunters began.
Most of the members of the unit are terriers, who make sure to vaccinate them well against common diseases carried by rats. The dogs 'shake' the rats, but do not eat them, which prevents the ingestion of harmful substances. Rat bites and scratches happen occasionally, but Susan Storey, owner of a border terrier who is also a veterinarian, promises quick first aid when needed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL0x5oBFC1w
Ratscallions have a neat tactic: first, some dogs scare rats in a way that causes them to come out of hiding, and other dogs catch them. It may seem chaotic, but it is orchestrated and planned chaos. The dogs whose job it is to scare rats include a miniature dachshund called Dickie, which is very suitable for squeezing into tight spaces – and diving into bins and piles of garbage to drive the rodents away. Its owner doesn't bother to tell people who stop to pet him on the street that moments earlier he had splashed around in the garbage.
How much of an impact can a few dogs and their owners have on tens of thousands of rats? According to Freeman, this is a serious impact: "It just disrupts their growth plan. They abandon their homes. We're seeing entire populations just moving in." She said the neighborhoods the dogs patrol are seeing a decline in rat numbers.
However, this unconventional solution is not without criticism. Animal welfare organizations criticize the practice, calling it 'barbaric'. Some argue that this is a fair battle, and even a more ethical method of rat control than glue or poison traps.
Legally, hunting rats is a gray area. The law in the District of Columbia protects all animals, including rodents, but there seems to be a kind of tacit agreement that rats don't count. The authorities are aware of these poachers and have not yet taken any action against them.
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