Pythons

Vietnamese Use Pythons To Curb Rats
Associated Press, 12/19/98

Demand for pythons is rising in the Mekong Delta because they have proven effective in killing and frightening off rats that are devastating crops, a Vietnamese official said Saturday. The official said the price for a month-old python has shot up to $4 from 70 cents several months ago. An adult python can go for $21, a large sum for poor farmers. Officials said 81 million rats have been killed so far this year by traps, poisons or other methods compared with 55 million rats for all of 1997. The central government launched an anti-rat campaign earlier this year.

But there also have been human casualties: Dozens of people have died from accidentally stepping on electric rat traps or ingesting poisons meant for rats. No statistics on Vietnam's booming rats population are available. It is believed to be in the hundreds of millions. Rat numbers have been growing in recent years due to increased availability of food and the shrinking number of predators, such as cats or snakes which have been served as meat or sold to China for traditional medicines. Officials estimate that rats are causing $5 million to $6 million in damage a year to crops. The government this year decided to close down restaurants that served cat. It also banned exports of cats and snakes and encouraged people to raise cats.