- Rat-catcher
The rat-catcher is an
occupation centered around catchingrat s as a form ofpest control .While no longer a profession in developed countries, there are still rat-catchers in
India and other developing countries.Keeping the rat population under control was practiced in Europe to prevent the spread of
disease s to man, most notoriously theBlack Plague and to prevent damage to food supplies.It is said that some rat-catchers in Europe would raise rats instead of catching them in order to get more money from the towns. This, and the practice of rat-fights, could have led to rat-breeding and the adoption of the rat as a pet - the
fancy rat .A famous rat-catcher from Victorian
England was Jack Black, who is known throughHenry Mayhew 's interview for "London Labour and the London Poor ".A famous fictional rat-catcher was
The Pied Piper of Hamelin . Ratcatchers also make a major appearance inDario Argento 's "The Phantom of the Opera".Techniques and Risks
Rat-catchers would capture rats by hand, often with specially-bred vermin
terrier s, or with traps. Rats are rarely seen in the open, preferring to hide in holes, haystacks and dark locations. Payment would be high for catching and selling rats to breeders. A rat-catcher's risk of being bitten is high, as is the risk of acquiring a disease (such as the Bubonic plague) from a rat bite.ee also
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Rat baiting
*Rat trap
*The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents External links
*gutenberg|no=17243|name=Full Revelations of a Professional Rat-catcher "by Ike Matthews' - an 1898 account of the tricks of the trade, by a British rat-catcher
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