SUBANG JAYA, 26 Aug: Owls will be used to control the rat population in Subang Jaya.

The Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) Yang Dipertua, Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan, said that the new initiative is adapted from the natural cycle of life as happening in paddy fields or palm oil plantations.

“The six-month pilot project will place 12 owls to test the effectiveness of the system starting from September.

“In addition to acting as a predator, the species was chosen because it is not wild and does not disturb the local community compared to crows and pigeons,” he said.

He said this during a press conference after chairing the MPSJ Full Meeting today.

Nor Hisham said that MPSJ is working with the Malaysian University of Science (USM) and the Wildlife Department to ensure the the owls are placed at proper habitats in the concrete jungle.

“For the initial stage, owls will be fed rat meat so that they will become familiar with the animal’s scent. We will also look at the development of breeding and the time needed for the owls to find rats to eat,” he said.

The cost of the project is estimated at RM200,000 for two years and the initiative was successfully implemented in countries such as South Africa and the United States of America.

NS