Rodents Of Unusual Size…..

Port Elizabeth in South Africa is under siege by "rats the size of cats" according to the Mail & Guardian newspaper. The situation is considered rather serious. Of course, it isn't being taken seriously by the government, just by the people who have to deal with it.

"It goes all the way from the top end of Rink Street to the harbour. I have had myriad complaints from businesses catering to tourism, such as restaurants."

Dries van Niekerk, chairperson of the Pest Controllers' Association, Eastern Province region, said rat-control programmes in private or corporate-owned buildings had ceased over the past 10 years.

This has resulted in the rat population explosion.

Van Niekerk said filthy conditions in certain dilapidated, vandalised, and vagrant-occupied buildings on the Hill provided ideal breeding conditions for the rats.

Mandela Bay Development Agency chief executive officer Pierre Voges said: "I'm not denying [we have a serious rat problem] for a second. A lot of property owners have complained about it. I wrote to the municipality asking them to do something about the rats, but never got an answer."

Municipal environmental services business-unit manager Dr Paul Martin said the areas concerned are being monitored and bait set at several key spots.

The city has responded by hiring a new spokesman to assure the populace that there are no enormous rats. None at all. Can't happen. Uh uh.