Terrorized by monster rats

[gata montes]

Wasn't quite sure where to post this, as it is only slightly garden related and not a pest, as far as I know, that any of us are currently encountering.

I think it is September and not April 1st, however, according to a recent news report, more than 170 residents of a village in Spain, are being terrorized by giant rats, and the authorities are saying that reports are flooding in, of people seeing rats at least a metre in size, and from the picture you can see, they are not exaggerating

Obviously, there are some serious health and disease concerns here, but taking a more light hearted view and being someone with an extremely vivid imagination and a gardener to boot, have been thinking about the consequences of encountering these monster sized rodents in our gardens.

These are seriously big rats, which just seeing a rodent of this size prowling around your vegetable garden, could be seriously hazardous to your health, let alone the damage it could do to your vegetables and plants, and certainly don't think that you could rely on your cat, if you have one, to catch it, as I think it would be running in the opposite direction faster than you.

So I am appealing to anyone who may live in the Valencia region of Spain, or knows of someone that does, to be vigilant, and if you do get a sighting of one of these monster rodents, please take a photo

 

[ChanellG]

Ew! Creepy! I can't wait to see what @claudine thinks of this photo, lol! Even @zigs would have to admit seeing one of these is enough to make you run for the hills! Note to self: Avoid Valencia (shiver).

Interesting bit of information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_rat

 

[zigs]

Cor, he's a bit of a monster.

Alert!!!!

Don't let Claudine see it

 

[claudine]

Too late, I saw it

It's a real monster. Poor, killed monster
Okay, time to run away from this thread, it's too scary.

 

[gata montes]

Ew! Creepy! I can't wait to see what @claudine thinks of this photo, lol! Even @zigs would have to admit seeing one of these is enough to make you run for the hills! Note to self: Avoid Valencia (shiver).

Interesting bit of information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_rat

Thanks for the info am not very keen on rodents, and am most certainly not very comfortable in the presence of any form of rodent, but am possibly the only one so far, apart from you that is, that has dared to look at this information.
According to the information, this is a truly monstrous size for a rat, which is a bit worrying as to what, we may be likely to experience in the future and makes me doubly sure that, I wouldn't want to be living anywhere near Valencia at the moment.
Perhaps we will see mention of it in the Guinness Book of records

Am not sure about running for the hills though, as I think a monster this size could probably out run a human, the picture my mind is currently conjuring up, is both amusing and absolutely terrifying at the same time

 

[ChanellG]

Am not sure about running for the hills though, as I think a monster this size could probably out run a human, the picture my mind is currently conjuring up, is both amusing and absolutely terrifying at the same time

You do have a point there. I don't even want to think about being chased by one of those things! Not only could they likely run fast, they can climb! You'd have to carry mace and who knows what on you at all times. I wish the citizens of Valencia much luck with this one; we don't want the population to spread!

 

[gata montes]

You do have a point there. I don't even want to think about being chased by one of those things! Not only could they likely run fast, they can climb! You'd have to carry mace and who knows what on you at all times. I wish the citizens of Valencia much luck with this one; we don't want the population to spread!

Hadn't thought about the climbing bit, don't know about the mace, think I would want, to be carrying something much more destructive than that, especially as you pointed out, that we don't want the population to spread

 

[lemonzest]

Whoa, that is a rodent of unusual size and no mistake.

 

[happyflowerlady]

That thing is enormous ! I wonder if they always have rats that large, or if something happened to make these rats grow larger than normal ?
Maybe they have been eating some Monsanto corn fields, and there is some kind of growth hormone in the GMO corn that made them grow this large ?
I remember reading about fish that grew to giant size in a lake/reservoir that was near some nuclear power plant, so maybe that could be what happened to the rats.
I sure would not want to be finding one of those crawling around my house or yard, and they usually are bad tempered, as well.

 

[ACSAPA]

That thing is enormous ! I wonder if they always have rats that large, or if something happened to make these rats grow larger than normal ?
Maybe they have been eating some Monsanto corn fields, and there is some kind of growth hormone in the GMO corn that made them grow this large ?
I remember reading about fish that grew to giant size in a lake/reservoir that was near some nuclear power plant, so maybe that could be what happened to the rats.
I sure would not want to be finding one of those crawling around my house or yard, and they usually are bad tempered, as well.

I know, right? What on Earth are those rats eating that makes them grow to that enormous size? If I lived in Valencia, I would go out armed all the time.

 

[Annetteb]

Now that is a big rat. Ever since they cleared out the woods behind my moms house for the new road, they have been having problems with rats. They don't have rats that big thank god. I don't think my sister could handle rats that big.

 

[Jewell]

My mom said that when she was young they had to have an exterminator come and take care of a rat that was the size of a small cocker spaniel. Figured she was exaggerating, but maybe not. That rat no longer had a fear of ..... anything. She grew up in Denver, Colorado.

With the popularity of urban chickens we have seen more rats. Cat and dogs occasionally bring a catch in . When you live in the city , "darn, rats". Maybe living so close to the port has its disadvantages.... We never see mice Just rats, possums, raccoons and deer. City wildlife isn't what I thought it was 30 years ago.

 

[zigs]

Ever heard of Freezer Rats? Rats that live in commercial deep freeze stores, they grow very long fur to keep warm

 

[blueeyes]

Oh my goodness, I have never ever seen a rodent that big and I must say it really gives me the creeps.....I don't know what else to say because I dare not look at it again!!!!!!

 

[Jewell]

Ever heard of Freezer Rats? Rats that live in commercial deep freeze stores, they grow very long fur to keep warm

Sounds like an animal the fur industry should harvest