Cat-Sized Rats Breeding in Florida
Cat-sized rats have invaded the Florida keys and conservation officials fear that further breeding will compromise crops and wreak havoc on the ecosystem, if the creatures make it to mainland.
"We thought we had them whipped as of 2009 … In the early part of 2011, a resident e-mailed me and said he saw one of the rats. We were skeptical but went back and talked to people and [saw] there were rats that we missed," Scott Hardin, the exotic species coordinator for Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said.
Hardin believes that there are at least 20 Gambian giant pouched rats still roaming the island of Grassy Key and the Wildlife Conservation Commission (WCC) will restart efforts to trap and remove the species in July or August, according to Inquisitr.com.
"I would not imagine there's more than another couple of dozen at most. We've caught them all within a half-mile of each other," Hardin said.
"We think they have not moved far but they clearly reproduced," he added.
The rats, which can grow up to nine pounds, were first identified approximately 10 years ago after a local exotic pet breeder allowed seven to escape.
The WCC has spent years trying to eradicate the African rats with the help the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Trapping efforts last began in May 2011, again in August and also during a 10-week period in November and December.
Officials have tried using poison-laced bait and the primary kinds of bait used are cantaloupe and peanut butter.
Gambian rats are considered a delicacy in many parts of Africa, including South Africa, where it is common for locals to breed them as food.
The rodents are omnivorous which feed on a range of insects, vegetables, and snails, and importing cat-sized rats from outside the U.S. has been illegal since 2003.
