“A rat in DC’s Kingman Park neighborhood is captured by the remote monitoring cameras deployed for research. Photo by Dr. Rebecca M. Gooley of WISDOM Good Works.”
“Dear PoPville,
Rats have been a hot topic in DC—from DC Health’s rat blitz to a swelling rodent population driven by climate change.
The DC Responsible Rat Management coalition just launched a year-long study in Kingman Park testing two approaches tailored to residential neighborhoods, including fertility control.”
From a press release:
“The DC Responsible Rat Management coalition has launched a year‑long study in the Kingman Park neighborhood to evaluate two strategies for reducing urban rat populations. Led by wildlife biologist Dr. Rebecca M. Gooley, the study tests a new rodent contraceptive alongside improved waste‑management practices.
In May, researchers began treatments across selected alleyways. Over the next 12 months, the research team, in coordination with a group of community volunteers, will track fertility control bait consumption and rodent sightings using remote sensing cameras.
“The goal is to create healthy urban ecosystems where humans and animals can coexist safely,” said Dr. Rebecca Gooley. “Rats are part of our urban environment, and for too long, management has focused on killing them rather than understanding the conditions that allow conflict to occur. By reducing the resources that attract rats and investing in fertility control, we can reduce conflict while protecting both people and wildlife.”
The project originated after Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) Ebony Payne and Max Broad, co-founder of DC Responsible Rat Management, convened Kingman Park residents in February 2026 to address growing concerns about rat activity.
“The first survey to gauge community interest in the project received unprecedented community engagement with over 40 households responding. We’ve now trained 24 neighborhood volunteers,” said Commissioner Payne, who represents the Kingman Park neighborhood. “It’s inspiring to see the community unite to tackle an issue impacting everyone’s quality of life.”
A key innovation is that neither intervention relies on rodenticides. These poisons accumulate in body tissue, risking secondary poisoning for species that prey on rats. Anticoagulants can also kill other species, like squirrels and opossums, who can access the bait. A recent study conducted by Dr. Sirica, the clinic director at City Wildlife, found that 85 percent of local wildlife brought to the center tested positive for anticoagulants in their livers.
Kingman Park borders the Kingman Island wildlife corridor, home to bald eagles, osprey, and other species that prey on rats, making non‑toxic approaches especially critical.
“Urban corridors like this are shared habitats. Any chemicals we use for rodent control cascade into the environment putting local wildlife at risk of secondary poisoning. Worse, many of these animals are our natural partners in rodent management,” notes Holly Gerberich, an anthrozoologist on the research team.
To improve sanitation, the research team has partnered with Stop the Rats to repair holes in residential waste bins. They are also encouraging households to participate in the city compost pilot program or place trash out only the night before pickup to avoid organic waste sitting in cans for long periods of time, attracting rats.
“DC Health recently introduced a different contraceptive in their strategy to suppress rats in commercial corridors” said Max Broad, Executive Director of DC Voters for Animals. “With the unprecedented Kingman Park research on rat prevention in a residential neighborhood, DC is innovating on the cutting edge of urban rat control.”
The study aims to generate the first long-term, neighborhood‑scale dataset on how combining contraceptive treatments with proactive waste management affects rat populations. If successful, it will provide a blueprint for other cities for rat management.
The coalition thanks the Capitol Hill Community Foundation for its support of this project.
SOURCE: DC Responsible Rat Management”