City considers rat bounty

ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Officials in a Michigan city said they are considering a $5-per-rat bounty to help combat the local rodent problem.

St. Clair Shores Acting City Manager Mike Smith said the bounty proposal is among the measures being considered by the city, which is also mulling more secure trash cans and education programs for residents on how to keep the rats away from their homes, WJBK-TV, Detroit, reported Thursday.

"When we first heard it, it was like oh come on. Really? A bounty. But then we talked about it some more. We said if it does help us find out where the issues are, it may be something worth considering. We know we're not going to trap our way out of rats being in existence," Smith said.

However, some residents fighting infestations said they think a bounty program would be a waste of funds.

"The bounty for the rats I think is kind of ridiculous," homeowner Heather Hawkins said. "Five dollars a rat -- I could've gotten $55 this summer. That's $55 they could've put towards solving the problem."