What We Do
Since 2010, the Vancouver Rat Project has worked to understand rats in our cities, the risks rats pose to people, and how best to manage them.
Rat
Ecology
Rat
Risks
Rat Management
Read This Summary of Our Work
From Data to Knowledge to Wisdom: Lessons Learned from the Vancouver Rat Project
A synthesis of 15 years of research conducted by the Vancouver Rat Project revealed that: 1) Pathogen ecology within rat colonies is the result of complex interactions among rats, pathogens, and vectors. 2) Local and global population structures influence rat and pathogen ecology. 3) Fine scale features of the urban environment can impact rat and pathogen control. 4) Rats can carry a variety of pathogens normally found in other species, including humans. 5) The things that make people sick do not make rats sick and vice versa. 6) There is more to the potential impact of rats on human health and wellbeing than zoonoses. 7) Municipal rat management approaches based on a “War on Rats” paradigm are unlikely to be successful.
Watch These Video Summaries of Our Work
