The War on Rats

Rats have proven to be prolific human colonizers, repeatedly influencing disasters within human populations. They have leveled civilizations with their epidemics, brought about wide-scale biological extinctions in fragile ecosystems, depleted food resources, and cost governments billions of dollars annually in control.

Throughout history, wherever civilizations form, there have always been nuisances that plagued them. Among these nuisances are rats and mice, which have stood the test of time, and somehow, they manage to survive, despite man's many attempts to eliminate them through countless wars waged against them throughout every nation on earth. Community leaders and public health boards have often promoted these wars. The federal government has also funded them from time to time.

One example of federal funding on the war on rats was in 1967 when the Senate approved a $40 million, two-year authorization under which local governments could wage war on rats. The provision was part of comprehensive public health legislation. With or without federal funding, when communities experience excessive rats in the area, they call on all community members to join the war and call on others for help when necessary.

In 1909, a report in "The Bossier Banner" appeared announcing that "Five thousand American cats have been shipped to Japan to aid in the war on rats. Other shipments are to follow."

In 1917, a suggestion appeared in the local paper of tasking schoolboys in Alden Bridge with killing rats on the school grounds. At that time, they calculated that one rat destroys a cent's worth of property every day.

In 1936, Mayor Mack Phillips of Plain Dealing declared war on the rats of Plain Dealing through a proclamation. The following announcement and the proclamation appeared in "The Plain Dealing Progress" on Oct. 1, 1936.

"Due to a noticeable increase of rodents in Plain Dealing over the past several months, Mayor Mack Phillips has issued a proclamation declaring war on rats and mice here and asking the people of his city to put out rat poison on the same night−the evening of Monday, October 5th.

"Everybody having rats in their house, store, barn, smoke-house or what have you, is urged to participate in this worthwhile movement. Put your poison out on this date and each night thereafter until our town is rid of these destructive pests. There are literally thousands of rats and mice in Plain Dealing at this time, and they MUST DIE. It is up to the individual to do his or her part if we are to be rid of them.

"In our war on rats and mice the mayor suggests that we all use some kind of poison that will not endanger the lives of anything but rats and mice. K.R.O. (Kills Rats Only) is a brand of rat poison that is said to be harmless to anything but rodents. It may be secured at any drug store and most mercantile stores for only 85¢ per can, and is already prepared for putting out."

The previous year, Shreveport waged war on rats. During their efforts, the city's board of health reported the following:

 "Five hundred seventy-nine pounds of red squill−a poison fatal only to rats−was mixed with 4,372 pounds of hamburger meat, 3,157 pounds of oatmeal and 1,441, pounds of corn meal and distributed at 20,816 places, of which approximately 20,000 were residences."

"The work required 25 working days, on each of which approximately 60 men were employed. Total cost of materials was $1,449.31. Total cost of labor was $3,500. Men were employed through the E.R.A."

At that time, government agencies estimated that rat campaigns of this magnitude were only eighty percent effective and required repetition due to the high reproduction rate among rodents.

By: Amy Robertson