Pests for fast cash: Vendors at Selangor market offered $1 for every rat they catch

A municipal council in Malaysia’s Selangor state is handing out RM3 (S$1) to vendors at a wet market for every rat they catch.

The campaign aims to make the Pekan Ampang market and its surrounding areas rat-free for the comfort of market-goers, said the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council in a July 9 post on X.

“Let’s join the effort to exterminate rats for the sake of the environmental cleanliness and health!” read another post.

The Rat Extermination Campaign runs from July 8 to 25.

Rat-catchers can exchange their vermin for cash at the market from 9.30am to 12.30am on weekdays during the campaign period.

On the campaign poster, icons showing two United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – good health and well-being as well as sustainable cities and communities – were included.

Over in Sabah’s Kota Kinabalu central market, a similar initiative is paying RM2 per rat caught.

In a Facebook post on June 26, the Kota Kinabalu City Hall said the campaign began on June 25 and will run until July 1.

It added that the campaign hopes to raise awareness about the dangers that animal infestations can bring to public health, the city’s image and business activities.

The Malaysian authorities have in previous years put bounties on rats to curb infestations of the pests.

In 2019, the Iskandar Puteri Municipal Council in Johor paid members of the public RM1 for every house mouse caught, according to local media outlet The New Straits Times.

And in 2013, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall gave out RM1 for each rat caught in the city, reported state news agency Bernama.