Town Urged To Live With Rats

[matcom]

<snip>

THE rats in the Mexicam town of Atascaderos ran out the cats, sniffed at poison and scared off bounty hunters.

The rodents have adjusted so well to all attempts to exterminate them that one state official says villagers are just going to have to learn to live with them.

"It's impossible to exterminate them completely and at this point they (the villagers) are going to have to take charge and learn to control them," said Alberto Lafon, a rodent infestation expert at the University of Chihuahua, who is co-ordinating the government's efforts to exterminate the village rats.

But a top health official vowed late last night not to give up. Javier Lozano, director of health services in Chihuahua state, where Atascaderos is located, said surrendering to the rats would be a public health nightmare.

"The people, they can't just live with the rats," Mr Lozano said during a phone interview. "Yes, that was suggested by officials. But that is simply not viable from a health perspective."


http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11222725%255E13762,00.html

[Spider Jerusalem]

1. Yes. Live with the rats...

and don't pay attention when you die by the thousands of plague. Didn't Camus already write this?

[puddycat]

2. Rats are everywhere in Egypt. (or so I've been told)

They run the streets in broad daylight. No, wait. That's Baltimore. But, seriously, there are big problems with rats in some Egyptian cities. Rats are everywhere. They thrive because they are so opportunistic and adaptable, and they will eat just about anything.

So, at least Mexico is not alone. Maybe if they get their problem under control they can teach everyone else how to do it.