Rodent of Unusual Size Found in Fuzhou
Those of you familiar with The Princess Bride probably know the fire swamp scene pretty well. After Westley and Buttercup survive the first two deadly terrors of the fire swamp — the flame spurt and the lightning sand — Westley assures his lady that the third terror, the R.O.U.S.’s (rodents of unusual size), are nothing to worry about because they don’t exist. Then, of course, to all of our surprise, and to the surprise of sick, little Fred Savage and his grandpa, an R.O.U.S. appears and Westley battles the enormous rodent to its death. Well, something sorta similar happened in the city of Fuzhou in South China over the weekend, except he who conquered the rodent was not a good-looking, sword-wielding, giant-defeating hero with a little blond pony-tail. He was a middle-aged Chinese guy named Mr. Xian, who picked up the giant rat after people found it on the street. According to a Telegraph report Wednesday, the rat weighed in at six pounds, has a 12-inch tail and one-inch teeth. The animal is believed to be a Chinese bamboo rat, a species of rodent found in China and Southeast Asia that are so large, they’re sold for meat. According to the story, local Chinese officials plan on borrowing the rodent to examine it and attempt to identify the species for sure… and/or eat it.
Photo: News.163.com
Flumesday is back! I may be a bit late in realizing that Flumesday is back in the business of providing the kind of hilariously insightful articles that we China hands, enthusiasts, and (in my case) expat “Alumni” crave, but I couldn’t be happier now that I know! Now I can continue to get my fix of stories that bring me right back to Chinese and World current events, and those sights, sounds, smells… of life in that curious part of the world that will never cease to intrigue us all. Thanks Flumesday - Glad you’re back!