Venom-resistant 'superrats' have already arrived in Spain

Venom-resistant 'superrats' have already arrived in Spain

Are there really rats surviving poison and thriving across half of Spain? The short answer is yes, according to a headline that ignited the debate: so-called 'superrats' resistant to rodenticides are now present in the country, with thousands of specimens distributed across 12 autonomous communities. The news, spread by a generalist outlet, includes a viral phrase with apocalyptic undertones: "They would likely survive a nuclear attack too." From there, the issue has evolved into a discussion blending biology, pest control, animal ethics, and a touch of local folklore.

What are 'superrats' and why do they resist poison?

The phenomenon is not new. Resistance to anticoagulants in rodents has been known for decades and trinc a textbook Darwinian mechanism: poison is applied, individuals with mutations allowing tolerance survive, and those individuals reproduce. The result is a population that, generation after generation, becomes immune to the products that once decimated it. The news focuses on Spain, but the problem is global.

In the exchange of messages, a more prosaic explanation is pointed out: that current poisons no longer contain the potency of the past. "The reality is that rat poisons no longer contain poison, just as many medicines are just excipients," states one participant. This is a frequently circulating hypothesis, though there is no official confirmation in the material. What is described in detail, however, is the repertoire of legal and illegal methods to get rid of rodents: anticoagulants, vitamin D3, traps, drowning in multi-catch traps, compressed gas. And the warning that hunting with compressed air is prohibited in Spain, although permitted in other European countries for pest control.

Adhesive traps: the method avoiding poison but not controversy

One of the most commented derivations is the use of adhesive traps in food factories and stores. The mechanism is simple: a bait attracts the rodent, which sticks to a surface with glue and cannot escape. Toxic substances are avoided, but the animal dies slowly. "I find it an agonizing death, a torture I wouldn't wish on even a rat," notes one message. Another participant recalls that this system was used in the past to capture birds: tree branches were smeared with a sticky substance called lily, and then the birds were served fried in bars as an appetizer.

The harshest criticism comes from the angle of collateral damage: these traps also catch lizards, toads, birds, insects, and even stray cats. "You have to be extremely trashy, a son of a bitch, to use this type of trap," says one message. The controversy is no less significant because, as reported, in some factories cage traps have been used to capture roaming cats, with the declared intention for the municipality to relocate them to controlled colonies, though it is suspected the real destination was different.

The pest control business: placebo, rodenticide, and back to square one

The economic aspect of the issue appears strongly in a message describing the modus operandi of pest control companies. The practical case: a food industry warehouse with more square meters than a soccer field. The criticized option consists of placing 80 bait holders with placebo, 1.6 kg of food that rats can consume for a month, if that is the contracted frequency. On the next visit, rodenticide is placed; after 15 days, costs increase again, it is replenished, and the cycle repeats until there is no consumption, at which point one returns to the placebo "to keep acting like an idiot." That is, a business model that feeds on the pest itself.

In response, some defend more expeditious and traditional methods. "I put the rat poison my grandfather used, and the rat doesn't even reach the burrow," states one message, adding a bitter reflection on the longevity of those who lived with pesticides like zotal or DDT compared to current health obsessions.

From pest to menu: the rat as a resource

Some take the issue to the realm of survival. "Nature is wise, it sends us meat for the times coming upon us. Learn to HUNT rats, if alive, better, so you can raise them in captivity and ensure a protein source," proposes one message. Another recalls that rats are eaten in some countries and suggests that a savvy entrepreneur could start an export business. These interventions are half-joking, half-serious, reflecting how far the debate has slid into dark humor.

There is also room for personal anecdotes. One participant recounts an encounter at the Ribadesella port with a rat "as big as a cat" that headed toward him and ended with a kick. Another says he killed one with a stomp and another with a club blow. And a third describes seeing two rats fall from a tree in full Madrid, initially mistaking them for squirrels.

The political noise: from rats to stray cats

As often happens, the topic drifts into ideological terrain. One message criticizes those who put out food and water containers for stray dogs and cats, arguing that this worsens the pest problem. Another jokes that rats are "migrants" and calling them so is racist. And some maintain that dogs are also a pest costing millions of euros. The conversation, ultimately, ends up being a sample of usual tensions: pest control, animal welfare, public spending, and distrust of institutions.

What is really known about resistance to poison?

Beyond the noise, the central fact is that resistance to rodenticides is a scientifically documented phenomenon. Anticoagulants act by interfering with blood clotting, but rats with certain genetic mutations can tolerate doses that would kill others. This forces the rotation of products, increased concentrations, or combined methods. The news provides no concrete population figures, only the claim that there are "thousands in 12 communities." It also does not specify which species are affected or what percentage of the total population they represent.

What is clear, however, is that the problem is not solved with a single product or a single visit. And that, meanwhile, coexistence with rodents in cities and industrial parks remains an uncomfortable issue few want to face head-on.

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In the end, the most honest conclusion is the one left in a message: from the rodents that survived the meteorite that ended the dinosaurs, we all mammals come. From these rats will come future humans when another big meteorite falls again. Meanwhile, we will continue arguing whether the poison works or is a placebo, whether adhesive traps are cruel or necessary, and whether rats arrived in boxes from Barajas or were already here all along. The only certainty is that they don't read headlines.