China News Service, March 21. According to Reuters, local residents said that some rural communities in New South Wales, Australia are suffering from the worst rat disaster in decades.
Data map: Beaches in New South Wales, Australia.
Witness videos obtained by Reuters showed thousands of rats gathered around a farm in the town of Gilgandra.
Farmer Ron McKay said: "At night...the ground is full of rats, and thousands of rats are running around on the ground."
According to reports, supermarkets store food in airtight containers, and there were at least three patients bitten by rats in the local hospital.
"You can imagine that every time you open the cabinet or walk to the pantry, there are mice present," said rodent expert Steve Henry.
Farmers who make hay bales for the winter are expected to lose a lot due to the rapid reproduction of rats.
According to local media reports, a single pair of rats can give birth to as many as 500 offspring in an average season.
So far, the intensive trapping program has had little effect in preventing rodent infestation, and the locals hope that the heavy rain will drown the mice in the hole.