My favorite news story of the dayBEIJING (Reuters) - China is deploying eagles to control giant gerbils that have damaged an area of grassland larger than Switzerland.
The China Daily said on Tuesday burrowing by great gerbils (Rhombomys opimus) and other rodents had damaged 4.76 million hectares (11.76 million acres) of grassland in the far west. About 33,000 hectares (81,540 acres) had been completely destroyed.
"It has been the most severe rodent disaster since 1993," Xiong Ling, an official with the region's headquarters for controlling locusts and rodents, was quoted as saying.
To combat the onslaught, the government was using poison and raising eagles to eat the burrowers now reaching the peak of their reproductive cycle, the paper said, adding as many as 790 burrow holes had been found per hectare in some areas.
Great gerbils, found in many parts of Central Asia, can grow up to 400 mm (16 in) from head to tail, the Web site of Britain's National Gerbil Society at www.gerbils.co.uk said.
In addition to being an agricultural pest, the gerbils are known to carry bubonic plague, it said.
― Chris Barrus (Chris Barrus), Wednesday, 20 August 2003 00:19 (twenty-three years ago)
I was going to Photoshop a Gareth head onto that but frankly it doesn't need it.
― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 20 August 2003 08:19 (twenty-three years ago)
'I used to take a size six (-lane thoroughfare), but now I can barely squeese into an eight'
'a second in the cheek pouches, a lifetime on the thighs'
― Mark C (Mark C), Wednesday, 20 August 2003 09:35 (twenty-three years ago)
"It has been the most severe rodent disaster since 1993"
Um, do I even want to ask?
― Mark C (Mark C), Wednesday, 20 August 2003 09:35 (twenty-three years ago)
i love the "attack of the giant gerbils" idea... photoshop a balaclava onto one and this would be the best thread ever...
― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Wednesday, 20 August 2003 09:41 (twenty-three years ago)
my pet gerbil used to chew the cardboard tubes from inside loo rolls.
what do giant gerbils chew????
― MarkH (MarkH), Wednesday, 20 August 2003 09:52 (twenty-three years ago)
Yes, to the point that an entire rush hour subway carriage in Beijing was once devoured in a matter of seconds by hordes of hungry rodents. In 1993, in fact.
― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 20 August 2003 09:53 (twenty-three years ago)