From: "Mark" 

Oh, yea it is the bamboo, that was in the rest of the entry at the link...

Still, just seems really weird 

"Rich Gauszka"  wrote in message
news:44860e88$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>
> "Mark"  wrote in message
news:44860c9d$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>> http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/node/769
>> "The Indian army is fighting an enemy it hasn't faced in nearly half a
>> century. No, it's not fighting off British colonialists, nor is it a
>> clash with neighboring Pakistan. It's rats. Millions and millions of
>> rats. You know...mean, aggressive rodents of unusual size -- the dirty,
>> grey, fuzzy kind that are led by their long whiskers as they scuttle
>> around making a "thp-thp-thp" noise. Every 48 years..."
>>
>> I've heard of the 17-year locusts, but 48-year rats? 
>>
>>
>
> Looks like it may be tied to the 48 year cycle of bamboo flowering that
> causes horny rats
>
> http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=63721
>
> Bamboo, a giant tropical grass with hollow stems, does not normally
> flower. Agriculture scientists say bamboo flowers increase the fertility
> of rats. When this unusual phenomenon takes place, the rodent population
> goes up. The rats go berserk, feasting on everything that comes their way.
>
> Agriculture Minister Rammawi said: "The rare phenomenon of bamboo
> flowering is a cyclical one and occurs every 48 years. So 2007 is the year
> when we expect a famine and there are early warnings already about the
> impending catastrophe."
>

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