2 Billion Rats Down, 3 Billion to Go in China
More than 2 billion rats have been killed in China during the last three years, but an estimated 3 billion still devour 15 million tons of grain annually, enough to feed 50 million people, the official New China News Agency said Thursday.
In an effort to gain public support for the extermination campaign, the Chinese press last year urged people to find new uses for rats. Newspapers published recipes for rat steaks and stews, praised champion rat-killer squads and told of craftsmen who made rat-skin shoes and other goods.
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