Rats On Menu movement called off by Chinese gov

The Chinese authorities have issued a warning over the risks of eating field mice after local bloggers urged citizens to put the rats, which has escaped from recent flooding in Henan and invaded farm lands, back on menus.

Media reports estimate that up to 2 billion rats recently began an exodus from their submerged holes near a flooded Dongting Lake, and ended up in farm lands in 22 counties nearby.

Some bloggers were said to have given a joking advice that as a solution to the problem the animals should be caught and sent to Guangdong province, where rats have long been a delicacy.

Local food safety experts quickly condemned the prank and said eating rats will only make people sick quicker than the rats could by themselves.

Before Sars hit China, eating rat meat was as normal as eating any other meat in Guangdong province, where endangered species could easily be found in cages at local restaurants. People were banned from eating a lot of animals, including rats, when scientists found that civet cat was a cause for the disease that killed thousands in the Sars outbreak.

The officials, amid the recent surge in rat supply, warn the general public that field mice should not only been avoided on the menus, but also been taken care of since they carry harmful viruses. The officials also attempted to overrule traditional wisdom with science by saying that that there is no proof rats are any good to health when they are shoved down the throat.