New York rats may occupy restaurants and the occasional subway car, but New Zealand's rats are so invasive that they've taken to "climbing trees and raiding birds' nests," according to the Global Post. One university came up with a solution it hopes will capture its students hearts: an alcohol incentive.
The Victoria University of Wellington's science department is offering free beer to any student who kills a rat. According to The Independent, the university will provide rat traps to students, and they can exchange the traps — complete with dead rats — for beer vouchers at the local campus bar, The Hunters Lodge.
To promote the program among students, Victoria University created a Facebook page called "Beer Trap" that explains the details of the program. In addition to keeping students up to date on trap availability, the page also includes a number of news articles decrying hedgehogs as the vermin they apparently are.
There's no word on how the rats will be disposed of once they reach The Hunters Lodge, but here's to hoping the initiative will help New Zealand solve its rodent problem.