Our urban rat team has been working on a project to make wild rats accessible to laboratory and field-based researchers. The intended benefits of the supplemental model include random sampling and widely-variable genotypes. Current challenges include viable site selection and procurement, safety (of researchers and animals), expense of tagging and remote sensing and working in sub-par field conditions.

Given the expense and hazards of ‘lab-to-field’ models, one cannot guarantee the outcomes will be worth the effort. It depends on where you are located, and the level of interest and motivation you have for incorporating alternative models into their own research. And that brings me to the point of my question.

If we were to streamline and make such a model widely available for the study of city rats, would you be interested in adapting them to your own research needs? e.g., If I could capture, mark and monitor wild rats for you (or teach you to do the same) would it benefit your work in any meaningful way?

Cheers for any feedback.