"Two Billion" Rats Invade China Lake Towns

National Geographic News ^ | July 11, 2007 | By Stefan Lovgren in Wuhan, China

[JACKRUSSELL]

A worker catches rats in central China's Hunan Province on June 23, 2007. The rodents were driven to higher ground and into farmers' fields after the lake flooded and submerged rat holes in the area.

To combat damage to crops and a potential public health risk, residents have been using everything from poison to hammers—and even their bare hands—to kill the rodents.

[Petronski]

I bet rat tastes better than pork-soaked cardboard.

Maybe.

[TommyDale]

Two Billion DemocRATS?

[Spktyr]

Perhaps they should spend more time breeding cats and less time eating them.

[G8 Diplomat]

After the badger and squirrell stories, I’m surprised they’re not British.

Can you say...bubonic plague??

[cripplecreek]

Give it a few weeks and we’ll find out.

[LasVegasMac]

How does one spell Orkin in Chinese?

[Calpernia]

>>>>”Two Billion” Rats Invade China Lake Towns

The DNC has a conference in China?

[Mr. Brightside]

Here are about 10,00 rats.

[gcruse]

I remember back in the late seventies there was a rat infestation in Australia. At first, the local cats were in a frenzy catching mice. But it didn’t take long for the novelty to wear off, and the cats wouldn’t bother to get up if a rat ran right in front of them. It was like, “Why bother?”

[skimbell]

Only if they count the Chicago “graveyard” voters.

[gcruse]

Heh

[ghostkatz]

Maybe we should send China back all the poisoned petfood & toothpaste so they can use it to poison the rats.
Looks like to me that the rats would be another source of protein, so instead of eating cats & dogs they can dine on stir fried rodents. Then again, maybe they can disguise the rats as chicken & export them to us. The FDA will never notice.

[alfie]

perhaps they can feed the rats some of their export food products, like toothpaste and fish. no more problem.

[ghostkatz]

ah, I see we think alike, ha

[mom4kittys]

[mom4kittys]

~LOL!

[Aliska]

This is sickening. The rats. The people who are affected by it have done us no harm personally that I know.

What can be done to eliminate the problem, they should be gathered and burned, and to keep it from happening again? It sounds like it is too late for natural predators that wouldn't further upset the fragile ecology.

But I hope the waste from it doesn't end up in our food supply or other products we import from them. Or anybody else's.

[Revolting cat!]

Holy shiite, Ted the Swimmer times two billion? Perish the thought!

[sweetiepiezer]

rat peiping