Giant rat two feet long found in Grimsby in England

A giant rat over two feet long has been captured by a pest controller in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England. Rats are not only getting dramatically larger, they are also becoming more resistant to over-the-counter rat-poisons, say experts.

Jeff Sullivan, 58, who owns the firm SWAT Total Pest Control, found the animal at a client’s home. He said it was the biggest one he had ever come across in his eighteen years in the business.

Mr. Sullivan showing the giant rat he caught. With their higher-protein diet today, rats are not only getting larger, they are also becoming much stronger. (Image: facebook.com/Pestcontrollincolnshire)

The real thing – no trick photography

Some claims have appeared on the internet of people catching four-foot long rats. However, they were later found to be much smaller – the animals had been held at arms-length close to the camera – thus creating the illusion that they were much bigger than they really were.

Mr. Sullivan said:

“There is a lot of misrepresentation with guys taking photos of rats with mobile phones and holding it out at an extreme arms-length to create the illusion that it’s bigger than it really is. But this is the real deal, it’s the largest rat I’ve ever seen.”

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Rats’ diets are changing. They are eating high-protein food and ‘bulking up’, Mr. Sullivan warned. He added that they are becoming much more difficult to kill, because of progressive poison resistance.

Mr. Sullivan added:

“I’m just glad I never had my jack Russell on this one, I think the rat might’ve won.”

This rat is was about the size of a medium-to-small dog, and considerably larger than a cat. (Image: facebook.com/Pestcontrollincolnshire)

Rats spread diseases

Rat infestations are a serious public health problem. The most common species – the black rat (Rattus rattus) and brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) – carry more than thirty-five dangerous diseases, including rat bite fever and leptospirosis.

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA:

“Without treatment, Leptospirosis can lead to kidney damage, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord), liver failure, respiratory distress, and even death.”

As over-the-counter poisons are becoming less effective in dealing with rats, the only way today to solve the problem effectively is to call a fully-qualified pest controller.

Video – Huge Russian rat attacks cats

See how these cats in Russia fear the large rat, which was significantly smaller than the huge beast captured in Grimsby.