"Coastal Town Overwhelmed by Rat Plague and Washed-Up Corpses"
A coastal town in Queensland, Australia, is grappling with a rat plague as hordes of rodents chew on electrical wires, eat everything in sight, and wash up dead in massive numbers, causing a foul stench. The population explosion of native long-haired rats is attributed to copious rainfall that boosted plant vegetation in the inland Outback. The rats, which can produce 12 young every three weeks, have decimated the town, attacking cars, stealing eggs, and even scampering up anchor chains of boats. Traps have been set up, but the government can only sweep away the rat carcasses to keep walkways and boat ramps passable. This phenomenon occurs at irregular intervals and is expected to decline naturally as predators and disease control the rat population.