Rats

Rats have lived on the earth longer than man. And wherever man has gone, except for the very coldest parts of the world, rats have also gone and have very quickly grown in numbers.

History books tell us that armies of rats moved into Europe from Asia hundreds of years ago. On their way, the armies of rats swam across rivers, raced across open fields, destroyed crops, and moved through buildings, scaring and frightening people.

It didn't take rats long to discover that there was a better way of traveling than on foot. They found ships just to their liking. These unlisted passengers had no trouble adjusting to the sea life on any kind of ship.

In no time, they were exploring below decks and making holes in sacks and boxes filled with good things to eat. Then, as now, they were no friends of sailors. Along the wharves of the seaports all over the world you can hear tales about rats. Some of these stories, such as those about rats being the first to leave a sinking ship, are probably true. This is because most rats live below decks in the very bottom of a ship. So they are the first to get wet if the ship develops a leak. No wonder they run! Once on land again, they grow fat on the tasty garbage to be found along the wharves and streets of a seaport. Then they spread out through the city and into the country.

Though people have lived with rats all through history, they have said very little good about rats. Rats eat crops, damage property and even cause deaths by carrying diseases from one place to another. People in cities will always hurry away when they see a dark shadow moving along a garbage pile. The sailor will be afraid when he sees a rat going quietly and secretly along a wharf in some faraway seaport. And the farmer will run to destroy the rats in his grain sacks. Do you blame him?

Yet, it is no easy job destroying rats. Rats defend their homes with great courage. Even a cat will think twice about fighting a large rat. And they are smart enough to live under all sorts of conditions. Now there are more rats living on the earth than there are people. It is thought that there are more than five billion rats alive today.