Rats overrun Kuching

Rats overrun Kuching

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): The city of cats on Borneo island has a rat problem it can't seem to solve, a Malaysian official said on Thursday.

The City Council of Kuching, capital of the eastern state of Sarawak, began offering residents cash rewards early last month for rodents caught dead or alive.

The council, renewing the offer in a statement on Tuesday, said residents who are at least 18 years old would be paid one ringgit (26 U.S. cents) for each rat measuring at least 12.5 cm and half the amount for smaller ones.

A disease contracted from rat urine is killing more people in Thailand this year than at any time since it was first found here 58 years ago, Thai health ministry officials said in Bangkok on Thursday.

By the end of August, at least 182 people had died from leptospirosis, while 5,576 had become infected, said a news release from the ministry.