What is it about the poor rat that makes so many people hate it so much? Around the rats are routinely killed in large numbers. In my country we have two species of rat living wild; the rare and very shy Black rat (Rattus rattus) and the more widespread and better known Brown rat (Rattus norvegicus).
So the common perception is that rats are covered in fleas. They live in our rubbish. They spread numerous diseases and last but not least if you corner a rat it will go for your throat. The way people talk about these animals you would think they grow to be the size of cats and run around attacking people!
Firstly a cornered rat is a terrified creature. It does not go for the throat, it aims to jump over your shoulder and run away. Secondly it is now believed that it was actually the smaller and barely spoken about Black rat that carried plague to several countries. In that event it was technically the fleas that carried the plague and spread it. The rats only carried the fleas. There are some elements of truth, however, wild rats do indeed carry diseases and have parasites, as do all other wild animals. Some do live in our sewers and rubbish dumps and some do come into our homes looking for food.
Let me introduce you to the rats I know. They don't live in a rubbish dump, instead they have set up home in some grassland where people don't disturb them.I spent a year getting to know these rats and taking photos of them. They live a totally wild life and were extremely nervous of me. It took me a long time to gain their trust and even then they would keep far enough away from me so they could outrun me if they needed to.
I don't know how many rats there were in this group but there was certainly at least one breeding female, 3 or 4 big males, a group of juveniles and then the youngsters that appeared throughout the summer. The enormous female looked constantly pregnant (and probably was). She was the main food gatherer. I took them cornflakes and bird seed and sometimes some vegetables too.
I noticed how often they would stop to groom their fur. You can see from my photos just how clean they kept themselves. They spent a lot of time eating. They would squabble over food and steal food from eachother but the youngsters were allowed to jump all over the adults and steal their food without repercussions. The youngsters were not allowed to come out of their hole until the adults were happy it was safe. They had a complex network of tunnels with several entrances. These guys were ut every day come rain or shine even the freezing winter didn't stop them. These were intelligent and compassionate animals that card for their young ones, kept themselves clean and learned to accept a human in their world, albeit on their terms. I couldn't be more thrilled with the time they allowed me to spend with them and the photographs I was able to take.
You can find these products and more available for sale in my Zazzle store Natural Beauty
Now you've seen the real Brown rat will you give them a second chance?
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