Rat 'larger than a dog' found as vermin catcher warns 'they're getting bigger'

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A rat catcher who has grappled with 50,000 rodents has said that vermin are "getting bigger and bolder". And Kieran Sampler isn't just exaggerating, having caught one monstrous rat that measured 22 inches from head to tail - the same size as a Yorkshire Terrier.Although the 29-year-old former Lance Bombardier has yet to come face to face with a rodent that matches up, he revealed that many of the murids he deals with on a daily basis are around 18 inches long.Kieran, from Wakefield, said: "Rats are getting bigger, bolder and more brazen.

They're less bothered about humans, cats, or anything."The dad reckons rats have become more courageous in recent years due to an increase in food waste on the streets and reduced pest control during the pandemic, reports the Mirror.Kieran, who has seven years of experience observing rodent behaviour, describes rats as cunning creatures, revealing that they alter their behaviour and routines - such as rising early to secure a prime food source.

This makes them unpredictable and sets them apart from other animals.He said: "Rats are used to detect mines in Cambodia, they're very smart animals.

Say you've got two Easter eggs, one is Cadbury's and the other is Lindt. They'll go for the Lindt. Honestly! You'd have to see it to believe it."He also told the tale of a particularly sly rat that repeatedly returned to file its teeth on the same abandoned car, even after the vehicle was moved several hundred metres away each time.Keiran has been clearing homes and farms of vermin since 2018 and has trained his two Terriers, Poppy and Penny, to catch rats.