Discussion on:

Residents trade rats for phones in South Africa

Wait until they find out someone is starting to breed rats to get the phone, they better have checks and balances in place for that situation.

...apparently there are so many rats that it's easier to catch them than breed them. [shudder]

I just wonder about the health of the rat catchers. It can't be very sanitary for ordinary citizens to capture such filthy beasts. I hope they are passing out literature as well on how to properly handle rats or they could have a public health crisis on their hands bigger than the one they already got. Also, there's always the brown snake...though Guam found out the hard way what it means to introduce a predator into your ecosystem and not be prepared for it!

Getting ready for my first trip to SA,, near J'burg. Thanks for sharing.

If they need to produce the rats they will not use rat poison...you rarely find the bodies. That will help them to survive and breed.

...over a rat infestation!

Call the Hamelyn, get that piper back!

Hmnn caching LIVE rats! Now that is a good career! How can these persons pay for the use of the phones? Who are they calling? LOL This sounds like a comedy skit more than anything. Like these people need cell phones? How about learning about sanitation, western style cleanliness, etc. just too funny. Also, what are the rat collectors doing with the rats? Selling them for dog food, making fried rat-sticks as I have seen or selling them to science? This is just too funny! Thanks for brightening my day! Talk about poor news reportng and 1/2 a story this takes the cake!

Incentive offered has practical value provided the catch is properly & forthwith destroyed.

Anybody that has ever had a rat problem knows only too well the challenges faced in getting rid of them. They will run out of phones long before the rats go.