It sounds like a sci-fi B movie, but the problem is real. Super-sized rats infesting Tehran are so huge that a special team of sharpshooters using night-vision-equipped rifles have been tasked with extermination.
Rats have long plagued Iran, and the problem worsens when springtime arrives: melting mountain snows flood the critters’ nests, and millions are flushed into the city’s streets and sewer network.
Tehran reportedly has more rats than its 12 million human inhabitants.
“It’s become a 24/7 war,” the head of Tehran municipality’s environmental agency, Mohammad Hadi Heydarzadeh, said on state television last month. “We use chemical poisons to kill the rats during the day and the snipers at night.”
Nearly one million rats are exterminated in Tehran every year, with city authorities launching multimillion dollar campaigns annually to curb the problem.
Authorities have employed over 45 tons of rat poison, but the rodents seem impervious, thriving despite chemical warfare: some reportedly weigh as much as 11 pounds.
Tehran city council environment adviser Ismail Kahram told Iranian news website Qudsonline that the rats, “seem to have had a genetic mutation, probably as a result of radiations and the chemical used on them.” “They are now bigger and look different”, he said, according to the International Business Times. “These are changes that normally take millions of years of evolution. They have jumped from 2 ounces to 11 pounds, and cats are now smaller than them.”
So Tehran has ramped up its attack. City officials told state media that 10 sniper teams armed with infrared scopes caught more than 2,500 rats recently, but Abu Dhabi’s The National called that number “a drop in the ocean.”
Dr David Baker, a veterinarian at Louisiana State University, told The Huffington Post it’s unlikely that a mutation caused the rats to super-size. “Nearly all genetic mutations identified across the field of biology are harmful and confer a disadvantage to the species rather than an advantage,” he said. “It’s not like in the movies.”
He conceded that there are several species of giant rats that can achieve the sizes described by Mr. Kahram. “During the Middle Ages, black rats in Europe reportedly grew large enough – and children were small enough – to carry off babies,” he said.
Genetic mutations aside, scientists have reported that certain rat populations are becoming poison-resistant. Last year, British researchers published findings estimating that 75% of west England’s rats were resistant to rodenticide. Last October, the BBC reported that preliminary research indicates all UK rats in could become poison-resistant within 10 years.
Rats flourish in warm weather. As snows on the nearby Alborz mountains start melting, water levels rise, forcing rats from their subterranean habitat. They migrate to roadside streams along Ali Asr, the Middle East’s longest street. The popular thoroughfare is home to restaurants and food stalls, and threads it’s way from North Tehran’s expensive neighborhoods to poorer southern suburbs, where the rat population is reportedly six times greater than the human population.
The government is considering ratcheting up the snipers to forty, but with a 6:1 ratio of vermin to humans, this war earns the monicker “quagmire”.
Sorry folks. I grew up in Charleston, SC, USA and this is what I would call a wharf rat. They are very big, have coarse hair, and I have seen them at dusk as I was walking along the Battery at low tide. I was always fascinated by them that they were so large. Personally, I think these could have come from one of the ports on the Caspian Sea, hitchhiking on a truck or in a shipping container. The bad news is, they breed like rabbits, being the rodents they are. Only a couple could populate the sewer system in a year’s time. Additionally, look at the photograph at the top, of the dead rat. Compare the size of the man’s hand to the actual size of the rat. That animal can’t be over 8″ long. I would guess it weighs between 2.5 – 3 lbs. Big, but not anywhere near 11lbs. And using rat poison may not work if there are other food sources. Rats are unbelieveably smart. They will ignore the poisoned food if there is something better nearby. Good luck in getting rid of them. I would invest in some large cats, like Maine Coons. They like rat diets. At least mine did. And they are good hunters. That would be my environmentally friendly solution.
Placing the legs of mice, 5 kg Tehran / response to an Iranian scientist doctor David Baker said LSU center
On 21 April. 1392 | News categories: academic , special , record | No Comments |
Reflection : In a report released on March 15 was 91 in one of the news channels were informed that an American magazine called the Huffington Post about the size of large rats, Tehran’s response to the text published by a doctor called an animal doctor David Baker LSU center where the doctor claims that Tehran genetic mutant mice once rejected by Ismail Khrm been proposed that it should not have stopped growing after puberty as
However, given the uncertainties and the creation of new questions in solved trying to come up with an Iranian scholar Qasim Ali Akbar decided to discuss this issue. His long years of research on invasive species, especially rats in response to the doctor commented David Baker said:
David Baker’s doctor about the possibility that genetic mutations once considered impossible because the parameters that naturally occur once every few million years is partly correct. But the other part of Baker’s doctor to rule on the claim Khrm doctor says this is not a genetic mutation, the mutations identified, and the mutations are detrimental to the kind of weakness, not its strength and advantage, debated, questioned, and is rejected because of his comment that he did so on the huge advantage because of its strength and the animal sees and knows rejected because of genetic mutation, but with a little reflection, simply notice that which are huge in size and strength advantage to mice not only them, but the one thing that makes these “very slow, the second” most likely because of in size can not be for No reproduction, and also can makes these huge holes and burrows of other animals and fishermen will be more in the collection of the solemnity of the opposite of what animals, and view seems doctor Baker indication of the weakness and vulnerability of it.
In rats as a doctor because Baker did not stop growing after puberty knows whether this is true?
Generally, the growth of organisms “in two periods before puberty and after puberty are classified. What is more evident among mammals follow a fixed law of proportionality between the rate of these functions, and it will take time. Short period of time are the is the speed of what in a long time to what is the the low-speed.
For each of these two Nyzba the genetic instructions for a start time and an end time of closing, there is every reason to schedule time to eat can be a problem. Components of the timing of the effect of eating together, In a short time, and with high speed, the more we will see the effects of physical impairments in the timing collide during a long and slow components, namely, the more we will see the non-physical disorders. With regards to the above comment I will come back to this thread.
Agrbh doctor David Baker claims that because he did not stop growing after puberty in rats is a great look, we have to look at the part of the operating speed of the time of the on a longer time if we are to be to continue the growth spurt in the infinite, and the consideration of possible mutation of the growth plates have closed, then we should see as a condition similar to much worse Zhygantysm with physical symptoms, we Acromegaly and Dfvrmgy did Even at a size of about 5 kg for rats is about ten times larger than the normal size, in which case it is not to survive, but this is not tolerable Dfvrmgy! The result is that a reason not to stop growing after puberty in rats, however, because it is ruled out, and the doctor David Baker’s claim about not stopped growing after puberty mutation impossibiity violate each other’s.
However, Baker factor which doctor is not stopped growing after puberty has introduced!
However, due to the rejection of genetic mutations, and no significant physical complications that result from genetic instructions to remain in the given time remains for the closure of the growth plates, but increasing the Two time before puberty and after puberty occurs, then such growth even after puberty refused to comment on the growth of pre-mature to revisit.
This body of evidence suggests that older rats in the growth phase and the time is still supposedly “slow growth and thus should not have unlimited time to maturity of sex hormones and as a result hormones increasment the direction of the slow phase of faster growth spurt stopped, unless the movement of the supply will continue to mature. But to achieve such a result seems “accountable for the uncertainty is such that it can not be completely sure of the reasons for such a disorder.
Behavior of animal populations with specific groups arrived at the conclusion that what will happen in puberty and cause the child to the child’s behaviors is not seen in the group-specific population in the mouse the absence of any children This is not a reproduction or the ability or willingness of such action on them has grown, both in the maturation of this is that of the delay.
0 But what has caused such a condition?
It’s a series of factors, including drugs, toxins, radiation, petrochemicals, industrial pesticides and capable of such cases has such an effect, but in this case the following factors should also look at the impact High strength, can be fragmented in different parts of the city.
In this case are all the factors that may cause the postponement of sexual maturity, the mercury is Arrowhead charges and operating according to the extent possible, the prime suspect in the city there is. Metallic mercury destructive and toxic effects of various forms absorbed by inhalation, ingestion, absorption through skin contact has, and also has the ability to store up in the body, and other forms of methylmercury Qabylt the form of more toxic of the show. including mercury damage is discussed here influence the reproductive systems are ovulating.
But these factors can Chtvrmy 0 mice could be available around town?
With a little study on lifestyle and trends of our industry in the past decade has witnessed the use of CFL in particular, as well as in Tehran’s growing that in the past years rise in energy costs Growth has been rapid.
Because of the risks of mercury in the CFL, not information, and any special facility for the collection and disposal of burned out lamps in particular, but did not do so lamps in the form of unconscious rubbish Rikhteh, and subsequently to have The break and leak mercury in the lamps burned down due to them being covered trash containers, or around the first option is rats were food for the most important factor the conditions described SuspendedCancelledPostponed being provided puberty in rats.
It should be noted that wherever the postponement of sexual maturity of the environment on the lives of adult rats can be removed, then that we saw the size of the rats was than normal size, then will be able to produce but they The baby mice are born with a natural appearance in the live animals to take, if not a very big event has occurred.
But the important point is that the postponement of the maturity that we consider here more mercury can remain in the environment or in the body of rats with more power to influence continue Dhdntyjh is the maturity in this particular case The case continues to be delayed slightly longer time spent growing up with a size of about 5 kilograms or more, which is generally the rats were, infertility, VULNERABLE be
It should be noted that science is not always the case, said the brothers ……
Final question: Huffington Post trying to destroy the rats even at night by a sniper goes on to note, in this case, what do you say?
The Huffington Post has announced that the theme of the 2200 killing rats compared against the present 25 million rats gained acclaim not only in Tehran and held to ridicule are these statistics the seems to be the A case combating authorities Municipalities should not give my mice!
But then ………
Erosion removes knowledge and knowledge is buried under layers, in the face of new developments and insights that are useful insight into the fact that knowledge is created, no new insights on the relationship between events the science is not achieved, it may one day help humans experiment on animals mother nature doing its own generation rather than height and size can
I am ready to answer questions Mbashm
Qasim Ali Akbar / Researcher
[email protected]
And Tehran’s not alone. My old hometown of New York City will try and induce early menopause in their rats o curb population growth – I kid you not!
http://animalnewyork.com/2013/mta-to-launch-rat-birth-control-trial/
What’s better from an animal rights’ point of view? Snipers or early menopause?
Not a nice pic, this is one of those things where you don’t want to see but have to check out anyway.
I feel sorry for the little kids, they must seem even bigger to them.
The plague factor could happen as Iran is not exactly the cleanest place on earth – despite what Ahmadinijad tries to do to make the country cleaner. I think the health authorities need to determine what causes these rodents to get so big. Jordan has a lot of natural uranium deposits which could result in something similar occurring there. But i Iran, there must be something that causes the rats to become mutant; and I’m quite sure their nuclear program is at least partially to blame.
The more I think about it, a great sci-fi horror movie theme could be created from this.
I was creeped out just reading and writing about these critters – bigger than my little dachshund!
Not sure what’s scarier though, giant biting rodents or guys shooting them in the dark. In Jordan, snipers shoot dogs, and I’ve heard of people getting stuck in the crossfire.
Do these rats raise the risk of another epic plague?
Good grief! 11 pounds? This is like out of a Si-Fi movie. What do those things really feed on? Maybe dead bodies in grave yards? I read a story about this once. The radiation (from Iran’s underground nuclear facilities) could definitely be a factor. How will this eventually affect humans?