Rat Invasion Could Spread Plague in China

The Epoch Times
July 13, 2007

Rat slaughter produces 100 tons of corpses in eight days

A deluge of floodwaters from the Yangtze River has caused a swift rise in water level in Dongting Lake—China's second largest freshwater lake—and has driven millions of rats from the lake islands into surrounding human habitats. Two local Government experts both warn that this is a sign of China's deteriorating environment and could cause a serious outbreak of disease in a matter of days.

Datonghu District in Yiyang City, an area with a very serious rat infestation, reported killing approximately 100 tons of farm rats in just over 8 days. Villagers collected more than ten truckloads of rats to take away for burial.

According to Voice of America (VOA), Wang Guoping, the Vice Secretary of the Hunan Province Wild Life Conservation Association, said one major reason for the dramatic increase rats is the sharp reduction of the rats' natural predators, snakes and birds of prey. The local population in Hunan eats snakes as food, and despite conservation laws, continues to catch wild snakes for decoration and artwork.

A resident collects dead rats near Dongting Lake on July 10. (Photo from Internet)Another reason for the degradation of the ecosystem in the Hunan area is the reduction of water resources. The uncovered shore area and lake islands are perfect breeding grounds for farm rats. "In the past, Dongting Lake covered a much larger surface area. It's not like that anymore," said Wang, "Rat infestation is a serious sign of the deteriorating environment. The government needs to take measures across the board to fix the issue."

Fortunately to date there haven't been any outbreaks of disease related to the rat infestation. According to a report by Professor Guo Shouheng and other experts from the Hunan Centre for Disease Control (CDC) who examined rat pathogens rats, "To date we haven't found the rat plague in this area. But the enormous amount of pathogens carried by the rats can easily get into the local water system. If humans come in contact with contaminated water, they are likely to be infected with these diseases. We are concerned that in a few days the farmers will be harvesting their crops and will come in close contact with the contaminated water."

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