WHEN I read the headline – “DBKK offers RM2 bounty on rats to curb infestation” (The Star, June 27, 2025) – I didn’t cheer or grab a rat trap. I paused and muttered under my breath: The Cobra Effect is back. This time, wearing fur and whiskers.
Part of a nationwide rat eradication campaign involving 10 local councils and the Housing Ministry, it all sounds clever: public health goals, community participation and a budget-friendly fix for a pest and health problem.
