Jakarta offers $1.50 reward for each rat as it launches massive rodent hunt
Authorities have urged people not to use firearms in their quest to rid the capital of vermin
The Indonesian capital Jakarta, one of the world’s most overcrowded and polluted megacities, has launched a new bid to rid its streets of vermin - by offering residents $1.50 for every rat they catch.
Authorities hope the Rat Eradication Movement will help clean up the teeming city of about 10 million where enormous vermin are a common sight on rubbish-strewn roads and in poor slum areas.
“There are many rats here, and big ones,” Jakarta Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat was quoted as saying on a government news website, as he announced the plan recently.
He said a recent encounter with a large rat had inspired him to start the programme, adding that the vermin were dangerous and could spread disease.
If possible, please do not use guns. If you miss your shot, the bullets could hit other people
“For each rat, we will pay 20,000 rupiah (about $1.50),” he added.