Bangladesh honored a humble farmer yesterday who personally slaughtered 83,450 rats.
Mokhairul Islam, 40, was awarded a 14-inch color television as first prize in a national rat-killing contest that resulted in the death of millions of rats in one short month.
Islam was meticulous in his rat-killing, saving up the tails as proof of his impressive tally.
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Bangladesh faces chronic food shortages, importing 3 million tons of food annually. Officials at the Ministry of Agriculture estimate that rats destroy up to 2 million tons of food each year.
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Wow! This is fascinating. Being a the sardonic westerner that I am (though this is starting to mellow with age [ah, me!]) there are so many smart ass thoughts that come to mind about this story, but truly...this man is a hero! I hate that we live in a world where people must live in these conditions. It just ain't right.
ReplyDeleteThe impression that Bangladesh gives is of a country that is so densely populated, it cannot hope to feed its citizens. Yet the population density is the same as that of dozens of American cities which have never experienced food shortages. Bangladesh lacks resources and infrastructure, as well as an adequate system of distribution.
ReplyDeleteNot to sound brash or insensitive, but why not eat the rats?
ReplyDeleteIf it were up to me, they would eat the rats. Maybe they just need some recipes to get started. I have no idea what the health implications of eating rats might be. It would appear to be safer than starving.
ReplyDelete