THE Subang Jaya Municipal Council will be going wild to hunt down rats in areas under its jurisdiction.
A pilot project using owls to catch the vermin will begin next month and will see the council collaborating with Universiti Sains Malaysia and the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan).
Council president Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan said they had planned the project for some time.
When it comes to getting rid of pest, he said, “as a green city, we don’t want to shoot the rats or use poison.”
“The project will go on for two years and, after the first six months, we will review its effectiveness,” he said.
He added that nesting grounds will be built for 12 pairs of birds.
"The birds will be fed rat meat before the project begins to familiarise them with their prey," he said.
The project is expected to take place in two commercial areas in USJ, but this is only a suggestion and no concrete decision has been made.
The two year project will cost the council between RM100,000 to RM200,000.
The birds have a lifespan of between three to four years and, according to Hisham, will not disturb animals such as crows and pigeons, as they focused only on their prey.
This is a first time a council in Malaysia is implementing the project using owls but such method to remove pests had been used in South Africa before.
(Star Newspaper)