A Rat Fur Coat - Thailand

May 1998
A strange trade in rodents became a casualty of Thailand economic disaster.

Giant rats were imported into Thailand at a time when get rich quick schemes were all the rage. Thousands of farmers leapt at the chance to breed them, lured by enormous profits. The rats were bred to create the latest fashion accessory - the rat fur coat. At the time there were grand visions that the fur coats would be exported to the very rich in Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan. But the international market wasn't ready for the rat fur coat. The government has just pulled out of the farming scheme, refusing to pay farmers for their rats. Farmers with tens of thousands of huge, hungry rats on their hands are up in arms. Some desperate farmers are releasing their rats into the wild. The local rat patrol are out trying to catch them. The rats are devastating crops. Other farms are leaving their rats to starve to death. The Thais may have lost all their money but they haven't lost their sense of ingenuity. Some villagers are catching the rats to eat. Now the rats, literally the size of a cat, are destined for haute cuisine rather than haute couture.

Produced by ABC Australia
Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Thailand
• Business
• Economy
• Fur
• Rats
• Coats
• Markets
• Disaster
• Journeyman
• Pictures
• news
• documentary
• current affairs
• journeyman
• journeyman pictures

[casketcrewchick]

I want one they are cute!

[melancholymangababe]

omg just leaving them to starve is so wrong

[hitcan79]

sell them to china, they'll fucking eat anything there

[FishEaster]

Disgusting.

[Chousakan]

What sort of moron farms something with no demand and then complains because they go broke farming it, and who in their right mind would think that rat fur coats would ever take off, let alone go balls deep and sell off all livestock to farm the rats.

[slave4glue]

those rats are so gross

[Topthai23]

@casketcrewchick 5000 bath

[realbitchndiva]

@dajoeng

Repeat, lectuce.

[dajoeng]

@realbitchndiva "educated, rapidly increasing, in taking their..."*

[realbitchndiva]

@dajoeng

Oh what a world.

Full of sadness.

OFCOURSE it is. GET A GRIP you creep.

Theres sadness all over the place, and i wont tolerate it.. especially when cruelty against animals is so valid and on a rapid increase.

You need to get enducated yourself, animals are capable feeling pain.

And so, for that humans are justified in taken their lives.. FOR THEIR BENEFITS.

THATS CALLED MURDER.

SO THOSE MURDERERS IN THAILAND NEED A VISA.

[dajoeng]

@realbitchndiva You are uneducated, and full of shit. Living in your own little perfect world without knowledge of the global world. Please do enjoy your cup of starbucks, and air conditioned vehicle before you head out to work princess.

[realbitchndiva]

@dajoeng

Excuse me?

Humans, are adaptable and capable of surviving through dilemmas.

My ideas are not ridiculous.

I bet the people don't even make enough money to still survive, and i'm talking about the ones who kill the rats!.

Don't BS me. Okiedokie?