Owl boxes installed across campus at Western University

There's a new sustainability project on Western University's campus — installing owl boxes.

Western officials said the boxes create wildlife viewing opportunities for the community, but they're also intended to reduce rodent traps.

As seen in the above video, black box traps are filled with poison bait, and when they're consumed, rodents can pass that poison on to other animals such as owls or hawks.

"We’re trying to raise awareness of the harms... But also alternative more effective strategies for rodent control. So for instance, installing owl boxes can help to keep the rodent population under control. Additionally, we recommend applying exclusion methods - so looking around your building and figuring out where exactly are rodents getting in? And then blocking those points of entry," said Brendon Samuels, biology PhD candidate at Western.

A single owl can eat hundreds, even thousands of rodents every year.