Bangladesh man kills 40,000 rats in one year

Telegraph ^ | Telegraph

[BGHater]

A poor farmer from northern Bangladesh was crowned the country's rat killing champion on Thursday with a final score of 39,650 dead rodents after a year-long hunt.

Binoy Kumar Karmakar, 40, used traps, poison and flooding to kill his quarry, and collected their tails to prove his success rate and claim a prize from the government.

Karmakar collected a 14-inch Sony colour television for winning the competition for 2008, which was part of a nationwide drive to stop food supplies being eaten up by rats.

"During the year, our farmers killed around 25 million rats," agriculture department spokesman Abdul Halim told AFP. "Binoy Kumar Karmakar has been declared the champion for killing 39,650."

Officials estimate that up to 10 per cent of Bangladesh's crops – mostly rice, wheat and potato – is devoured by millions of rats every year.

Last year an invasion of rats in Bangladesh's southeastern Chittagong hill tracts region wiped out crops and caused a famine in some remote villages.

[BGHater]

Nice job Champ. Enjoy your TV, especially if you have electricity.

[Batman11]

From the headline, I thought this guy blew up the DNC convention!

[Kimmers]

Where is the outrage from Ashley Judd?

[Obadiah]

...14-inch Sony colour television

Wow. A year's work for a 14 TV. Count your blessings.

[rabscuttle385]

Rats...so many rats!

[SirAllen]

Wow! The government went all out on the incentives, glad we don’t have that kind of over indulgent government spending.

[Manic_Episode]

I wonder how many he ate?

[Soothesayer]

Aren’t rats considered sacred in that region?

[Radl]

He would have had a field day in Washington.

[12Gauge687]

Not necessarily. Many in Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) are not Hindu. Not all Hindus think rats are sacred.

[Soothesayer]

Ok. I saw this weird documentary about a temple full of rats. Don’t remember where that was.

[Impy]

Get him a visa.

[Fresh Wind]

...collected their tails to prove his success rate...

Where did he keep them? A rat tail file?

[12Gauge687]

It’s definitely in India. I know of it; in fact, my girlfriend brought back photos of her visit to the place. Pretty creepy.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

You get a Gold Star for that one.

[IrishMike]

40,000 dRAT’s a year ???

Now he’s a FReeper

[Eagle Eye]

Over a hundred a day, every day!

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

"Where did he keep them? A rat tail file?"

I don't care who you are, tht right there is funny!

[Soothesayer]

Remind me to avoid that vacation spot. Ok?

[Jagman]

I think I’d move.