New York's Giant Rats

New Yorkers may have more to worry about than alligators in the sewers. A photo has gone viral on the internet that purports to show a three foot rat.

The giant rat was allegedly found dead in a Foot Locker shoe store located in the Bronx. The photo, which was apparently taken in the fall of 2011 shows the rat on a shovel.
Employees working at the Foot Locker location have refused to comment on the incident.

This is not the first giant rat discovered in New York. A similar creature was speared to death with a pitchfork at a housing project in Brooklyn.

Jose Rivera, an employee with NY’s Housing Authority, was clearing a rat hole in Brooklyn when three of the rodents came out.
Rivera struck out hitting one of the rats but the other two escaped. The creature appears to be about three feet long and is covered in white fur.

Residents of the project say they have seen the giant rats running around the area and that even cats are afraid of them. Sightings of the massive rodents have been reported for at least six years.
Animal experts believe the Bronx rodent may be a Gambian pouched rat which can grow up to three feet in length.

Gambian pouch rats were once imported to the US as pets but were officially banned in 2003. The exotic rats are nocturnal and in the wild are very social, living in large groups.
Experts believe the rats could have been pets released by their owners once they reached such large stature.

Funny, that’s what they say about the gators in the sewers.