“Rats Everywhere”: A place infested by rodents

Hordes of rats have invaded tropical fishing towns in the northern Australian state of Queensland. After a record rainy season in the Australian interior, native long-haired mice have steadily migrated towards the coast and spread over hundreds of kilometers in search of fields to eat. “Rats are everywhere,” said 49-year-old Derek Lord of Normanton. “They are so bold that they come out during the day.”

Lord stated that the police at his rental company “literally destroyed the car overnight, taking all the wires out of the engine compartment.” Mice also broke into the duck cages and stole the eggs. “Last night, the ducks went crazy and I came down to see what was going on — I thought maybe there was a cat or something,” Lord said. Instead, the mice chased the ducks through the stables. “They’re bold as hell.”

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Heaps of drowned rats wash up on the beaches every day

Rats have also spread to the nearby town of Karumba, known as a fishing Mecca. Charter operator Gemma Probert said piles of drowned rodents were washing up on beaches early each day. She continued: “The situation is very bad here. Last week, we were all over the beaches, some alive and some dead.” “It’s not very nice there, it smells a bit bad.” The local government cleans the beaches every day.

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Extreme weather events alternate across large parts of Australia’s interior: heavy rains after years of severe drought have led to abundant crops and at the same time a sharp increase in pests such as grasshoppers, rats and mice. In Queensland, rat plague could persist. Given the forecast for rain, Probert said she heard the worst was yet to come.