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.