JUST THE GUY WE NEED TO CLEAN UP CONGRESS

Farmer wins TV for killing record number of rats in Bangladesh.

Mokhairul Islam, a 40-year-old farmer, has won a colour TV after being named the most successful rat killer in Bangladesh.

The 40-year-old farmer disposed of 83,450 rats from January to September — more than double the number notched up by last year’s winner, according to the Bangladeshi Agriculture Department. Proof of his accomplishment came in the form of 83,450 rat’s tails delivered by Mr Islam to local officials.

“Rodents are the most feared enemy for farmers, so it is an honour to win this prize,” he said.

He used traps, poison, electric barriers and flooding. “The rats ravage our farms. I’ve seen it time and time again, first-hand. If I see one, I don’t even stop to think. I just go for it and kill it. I’m saving myself and my livelihood,” he said.
The competition aims to reduce the damage done to crops in the impoverished land, with an estimated 6.5 million rats killed this year. The Government estimates that as much as 10 per cent of Bangladesh’s annual harvest of rice, wheat and potatoes is devoured by rodents.

A plague of rats in the southeastern Chittagong region last year led to famine in remote villages, forcing the World Food Programme to distribute aid to 120,000 people for four months after they were reduced to eating wild roots.