China Uses Birth Control, Abortion Pill to Cut Gerbil Population

The gerbil population is exploding in northwestern China, and authorities felt they had no choice but to put the frisky little buggers on the pill. The ‘plague’ of gerbils is threatening to overrun the local desert ecosystem, so forestry officials in the city of Changji in the Xinjiang region began distributing contraceptive-laced pellets last May.

From Yahoo News:

The gerbils’ large burrow systems in the Gurbantunggut Desert had begun to damage the root systems of the few plants that can survive in the area, while also damaging local agriculture, it said.

The pellets contain a specially developed contraceptive and an abortion drug, the report quoted Du Yuefei, head of the epidemic prevention section of the city’s forestry bureau, as saying.

“Besides pregnancy prevention, the drug can induce abortions and thus largely reduce their breeding rate,” Du said.

“It’s a good way to tackle the desert rodent plague.”

The drug has “little effect” on other animals, the report said.

“Little effect”? Hmm. And, how many conservative Americans’ ears just perked up at the words ‘abortion drug’?  They’re getting their pitchforks out already – didn’t even hear the word ‘gerbil’.

Gerbils aren’t an invasive species – they’re native to this area of China. But, they somehow got out of control, and considering that females can have a new litter every 3 months and China’s ecosystems aren’t exactly the picture of health, that’s not too surprising. Officials had previously tried to battle what they call ‘desert rats’ by releasing eagles and owls nearby, but that didn’t work. So far, there’s only been a slight drop in the gerbil population as a result of the birth control and abortion pellets, but who knows how it’s affecting other species in the area.

Link [Yahoo News]

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