Giant Rat Causes Uproar In Sweden

A massive rat in a Stockholm family's kitchen has made headlines in Sweden, where it is being dubbed "Ratzilla". Measuring 40cm (nearly 16in) plus tail, the creature terrified the family in Solna district. According to the BBC, pest controllers finally killed the intruder using an oversized trap.

INCREDIBLE: Giant Rat

 Even the family cat had refused to enter the kitchen while the giant rat was in residence, father Erik Korsas told BBC News. It appears that it entered the kitchen via a ventilation pipe, having gnawed its way through cement and wood. After devouring food leftovers under the sink, the creature feasted on a "Swedish smorgasbord" of waste in the bin, according to Mr Korsas.

Pictures courtesy of BBC Europe

The incident occurred three weeks ago and initially, after taking a few souvenir photos, the family thought no more about it.

But when they contacted Sweden's Home And Rent website to see if it was interested in the story, it rapidly scurried to the top of the country's news agenda after attracting the attention of reporters at newspapers including the English language The Local.

Rat caught in the home of the Korsas family in Stockholm, Sweden
On Tuesday, the "mega rat" became the most shared item for popular Swedish daily Aftonbladet, according to a tweet by journalist Sven Nordenstam.

Social media rang with gasps of disbelief, disgust and amusement. "Can't even read the news because there's a story about a giant rat on it," wrote one person. "I'd be moving on out of there," wrote another.

Laughing incredulously, Mr Korsas told the BBC that one reporter had said he should have frozen the rat's carcass for posterity. "You do have big rats in London too, yes?" he asked.

Since the incident, the family and its cat - a Cornish Rex by the name of Enok - have not been bothered by rats of any size, Mr Korsas added.

Despite regular media speculation, there appears to be little evidence of rats getting bigger in developed countries.

However, scientists do believe they could eventually grow into the size of sheep, Dr Jan Zalasiewicz, of the University of Leicester in the UK, recently told the BBC.