After a record rainy season inland, the rodents have migrated towards the coast and are now causing extensive damage – or washing up dead on the beach.
Hordes of rats have invaded tropical fishing towns in north Queensland, Australia. After a record rainy season in inland Australia, native long-haired rats have steadily migrated towards the coast and spread hundreds of kilometers in search of fields to gnaw. “Rats are everywhere,” said 49-year-old Derek Lord of Normanton. “They are so bold that they even go out during the day.”
At his rental store, they “literally destroyed a car overnight – took all the wiring out of the engine compartment,” Lord reported. Rats also broke into the ducks’ cages and stole eggs. “Last night the ducks were going crazy and I went down to see what was going on – I thought maybe there was a cat there or something,” Lord said. Instead, “many” rats chased the ducks around the stables. “They are bold as hell.”
Drowned rats appear
Rats have also infested the nearby town of Karumba, known as a fishing mecca. Piles of drowned rodents wash up on beaches every day, charter operator Jemma Probert said. “It’s really bad here. Last week, we had them scattered all over the beaches, some alive, some dead,” she continued. “It’s not very pleasant down there, it smells a bit.” The local government cleans the beaches every day.
Weather extremes are alternating across much of inland Australia: Heavy rains after years of devastating drought have recently led to bountiful harvests and, at the same time, a sharp increase in pests such as grasshoppers, rats and mice. In Queensland, the rat plague may continue: given forecasts of more rain, Probert said he had heard the worst was yet to come. (APA/AFP)