Are you scared of rats? Well, most of us are. But this news will shock you.
Some 40 little school kids in New Zealand have managed to catch and kill over 600 rats within 100 days, in an effort to preserve the birdlife on the country’s Stewart island. The kids were happy to capture and focused on getting rid of rats and caught them with their bare hands.
In New Zealand, rats are seen as harmful pests and a significant threat to natural biodiversity. Because most of the country’s birds did not evolve with mammalian predators like cats, rats and other animals they tend to be highly vulnerable.
Over the course of three months, one five-year-old caught and killed 60 rats alone. The kids dump buckets full of rats in the schoolyard, sort them by size and hang especially remarkable specimens by their tails for measurements, a video shot by TVNZ during the competition showed, the Guardian reported.
The competition was organised by Emma Jenkinson, chairman of the school’s trustees She said, “Even the five-year-olds are really into the idea. They know the end goal: they want kiwis back in their backyards.”
Each kid received a trap constructed up of previously used political billboards. One vermin slayer beams, “My trap, basically the whole thing’s a layer of blood.” These efforts are a part of the country’s national aim of having no predators by the year 2050, which is one of the most ambitious pest eradication initiatives in the world.
The kids reported that they are committed to eradicating rats from the small southern island. They also competed for a variety of prizes using their deceased animals including the reward most rats caught.
Bella, 11, caught 64 rats. The largest rat caught measured 45 centimetres in length and received an award from the school.
(With inputs from agencies)
