In Idaho, public health officials are trying to curb the rat infestation — with a $250K fund
Kyle Pfannenstiel / Idaho Capital Sun | Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 5 hours, 12 minutes AGO
The two common rat species in Idaho are the non-native Norway rat, pictured, and the roof rat, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. “Norway rats thrive in environments where food, water, and shelter are readily available, including dumps, sewers, open fields, and residential neighborhoods,” according to the Health and Welfare website. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
The board that oversees Idaho’s largest public health district on Friday approved a quarter million dollar fund to fight invasive rats.
The Central District Health board approved $250,000 in unspent reserve funds toward a “rodent abatement and prevention project.”
The health district is still planning how to spend those funds, but some of it could go toward free rat traps, finding a way to track rat sightings, and bringing cities together that are affected by the infestation, Central District Health Director Kristin Ryan said in an interview.
Part of why the health district is getting involved, she said, is because rats can pose a public health risk by transmitting diseases. Ryan says she isn’t seeing data to show higher infection rates from rat-spread diseases in the area, but she said officials are trying to be proactive.
“We’re just trying to be responsive to our community’s needs, and this is a high priority for our communities in Ada County,” Ryan said.
In the spring, bills to curb the state’s rat problem failed to garner enough support in the Legislature. In June, Republican state Sen. Tammy Nichols and Democratic Rep. John Gannon urged local government officials to act on the issue, BoiseDev reported.