Revealed: How '4ft monster rat' found by gas man on London housing estate is from GAMBIA and highly intelligent 

  • Gas man was working in Hackney when he spotted the massive rodent
  • Shocking photo shows the size of the animal, said to weigh 25lbs
  • Comes amid fears the vermin are growing immune to normal poisons
  • Animal could have been a Gambian pouched rat that had been kept as a pet

They say you are never more than six feet away from a rat in the capital.

So residents on the London housing estate where this monster was found might be forgiven for feeling a little queasy.

But before you start looking under the floorboards for similar-sized super-rats, sceptics have suggested the rodent in this shot appears larger than it is simply because it's being held close to the camera lens.

Gas worker James Green with the rat found near Hackney Downs, east London. The perspective of the photo makes it difficult to see the rat's exact size, although the workers say it was four-foot in length

Gas worker James Green with the rat found near Hackney Downs, east London. The perspective of the photo makes it difficult to see the rat's exact size, although the workers say it was four-foot in length

Using selfie sticks and other extendable poles is another popular way of using perspective to trick the eye into believing objects are bigger than they actually are.

Workers who found the dead rodent close to a playground in Hackney Downs, East London insisted it was 4ft long – the size of a small dog.

Gas engineer Tony Smith, asked his electrician colleague James Green, 46, to hold the dead animal up for a photo because he thought no one would believe them.

Mr Smith, 46, said: 'It was the largest rat I've ever seen. I've got a cat and a Jack Russell and it was bigger than both of those put together. I'd say it was about four foot.'

'We were going to stick it in the bin, but before we did we thought we better take a picture of people won't believe it's real.'

He claimed the rat had been killed by poison left for other vermin and had ballooned after gorging itself on leftover fast food from nearby bins. 

The rat is said to have been found near this play park on Amhurst Road in Hackney, east London

The rat is said to have been found near this play park on Amhurst Road in Hackney, east London

Mr Smith added: 'These little fellas have a pretty good diet. They eat fried chicken and rice all the time.'

Experts last night said the animal could have been a Gambian pouched rat that had been kept as a pet. Professor Jane Hurst, of Liverpool University, said the species is becoming popular because they 'tame quite nicely'. 

Dr Dougie Clarke, of the University of Huddersfield, said they can reach up to four feet, adding: 'These are highly intelligent and extremely large rodents – so big they are often kept on a lead.'

Hackney Council said it had not been contacted about rat problems on the estate. The discovery comes after binmen in Plymouth last year said they encountered 'foot-long, aggressive' rats. 

RODENTS THAT SNIFF OUT MINES  

The African Giant Pouch rat, Cricetomys gambianus, also known as the Gambian pouch rat, is a nocturnal pouched rat native to Africa

The African Giant Pouch rat, Cricetomys gambianus, also known as the Gambian pouch rat, is a nocturnal pouched rat native to Africa

  • Gambian pouched rats are among the largest rodents in the world and can reach 3ft in length and weigh up to 3lb
  • Despite poor eyesight, they have an excellent sense of smell
  • In 2009, 30 rats were trained to sniff out landmines in Mozambique. UK lab researchers have also used them to detect tuberculosis from saliva samples
  • Highly intelligent, they are kept as pets and lick owners who give them belly rubs
  • Pouched rats can be bought on UK pet websites for £200
  • However, males are fiercely territorial and humans have reportedly been attacked in Africa

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