Belvedere to test rat birth control in new pilot program

Crest Road resident Bob McCaskill was driving on northbound Highway 101 late last year when something went wrong with his car.

“Suddenly all the lights on my dashboard started flashing and it said, ‘Go to your nearest auto dealership immediately,’” McCaskill said.

He pulled into the closest Lexus repair shop, where the mechanic pinpointed a surprising culprit for the malfunction: rats. The mechanic said the animals had likely sneaked underneath the car and chewed the wiring, causing about $12,000 in damage.

“I asked the mechanic, ‘Well, how often does this happen?’” McCaskill said. “The mechanic said, ‘See those two cars there? They’re both having the same problem.’”

McCaskill isn’t alone in his experience, City Manager Robert Zadnik said.

“It’s been a growing concern among the larger Marin community,” he said in an email. “In Belvedere, rat populations and destructive activity appear to be on the rise. I’ve had a few residents reach out to me directly to tell me that rats are eating wiring in vehicles while parked on public roads. Traditional pest-control methods don’t seem to be working.”

In response, Belvedere is launching a pilot program that will attempt to use contraceptive bait to reduce the city’s rat population. Zadnik announced the program at the June 8 City Council meeting.

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