Wednesday, July 11, 2007

2 Billion Mice Invade China Provincial Counties

Flooding in the Hunan Province of China has forced 2 billion mice from islands in Dongting Lake to seek higher ground. The mice have invaded human turf in 22 counties around the lake. Locals are building walls and ditches to stave off the assault.

Upside: People have killed more than 2 million of the rodents with clubs, garden implements, traps, poisons, and well, about any other way they can contrive.

Downside: at least 1000 cats in the town of Lujiao have made the ultimate sacrifice after eating mice that had ingested poison. [Just when the cats were needed most - Murphy's law of unintended consequences?]

Flooding and landslides have killed well over 300 people in Central China in recent weeks. Chinese officials and local residents fear disease outbreaks will result from the rodent invasion.

The BBC article linked above makes no mention of rats, snakes, spiders, ants, centipedes, monkeys, or any other creature, just in case you were wondering.

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