Karumba Rat Infestation: At Least 1,000 Dead Rats Wash Up Along Australian Town Each Day

A rat infestation has been reported in Karumba, Queensland, Australia, since earlier in November, as a horde of dead rodents keeps arriving with seemingly no end in sight. There are also live rats spotted in the local area, where boats and homes are also threatened by the small, hairy mammals. The rat plague, in general, also affects the northern parts of the state, causing a foul smell that affects nearby residents, according to reports.

It is unclear why the swarm of rats keeps invading the town but evidence leads that it has got something to do with weather. Various sources point out that the extension of the rainy season or wet season may have contributed to the population growth and spread of rodents, which health experts warn are carrying diseases. Australia experienced its previous annual wet season from November 2022 to April 2023. In recent months, this wet weather has persisted even beyond April.

Karumba Rat Infestation

(Photo : Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash)
A stock photo of a rat.

Australia's local tourism would say that Karumba is known for its fishing sites and a "birdwatcher's paradise" since it also faces the open sea. The coastal town is also a locality in the Shire of Carpentaria in Queensland's Gulf Country region and it is more than 2,000 kilometers away from the state capital of Brisbane. However, the ongoing rat plague poses a devastating reality that the issue may seem to be getting out of hand.

The Karumba rat infestation involves an incident where at least 1,000 dead rats, with some alive, keep washing up on the beaches along the Australian town each day. The rat deaths were linked to drowning as water levels apparently increased in recent months. The incident has overwhelmed residents, with one local saying that the unwanted rodents first appeared in the small town approximately two weeks ago.

The stench of the plague has also started to affect the locals, with council members collecting several of them from boat ramps. This is also believed to be made possible as the rat swarm moved in mass number toward the north. Authorities say the rodents may have used the river systems to enter the Gulf Country town.

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Karumba Rat Plague

The invading rats of Karumba are also observed to be chewing on electrical wires and other materials it could find, causing a stink in the community. Other than Kurumba, other parts of Western Queensland are also experiencing this growing problem. The rat population in the area is believed to have exploded following a recent rainfall that boosted plant vegetation, hundreds of miles in the inland Outback.

Photos and videos that circulated on social media show that thousands of rat carcasses were washing up into the seawalls and shorelines of Kurumba. According to pest control experts, rats typically search for environments with warm temperatures that they can live in and infest. Yet, they are not welcome in human settlements.