Rare Bamboo Flowering Draws Legions Of Rats To Indian State - Reuters

[hatrack]

GUWAHATI, India - Tribal villagers in India's Mizoram state are killing hundreds of thousands of rats as the rodents, drawn by the rare flowering of a wild bamboo, devour rice fields.

Hordes of rats have swept through the forests of Mizoram, feasting on the fruits of wild bamboo, which flowers every 48 years.
As they gorge on the small, green fruits, their population is soaring. In areas where they have finished off the fruits, the rats have turned their attention to farmers' crops.

The bamboo flowering will reach its peak in 2007, but already it is causing havoc. Experts say that the rich protein content of the bamboo fruits increases the rats' reproductive power. "Our drive to kill rats covers 150 villages across the state and, so far, villagers have killed around 200,000 rodents using poison and locally made traps," James Lalsiamliana, a senior agriculture officer, told Reuters from the capital, Aizawl.

The area around Aizawl and two other districts of the state -- 30 percent of whose area is covered by bamboo forests -- are the worst hit so far by the hungry rats. "Killing of rats will continue until middle of December till the harvesting is over," Lalsiamliana said over the phone.

EDIT

http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/39001/story.htm

[soothsayer]

1. We had a rat problem after the most recent 17 yr locusts. They

LOVED them, and bred like crazy. I still see 'em from time to time, but nothing like this thing describes!