New Zealand: hot summer leads to a tenfold explosion in rat population

Fertile breeding conditions caused by hottest summer since records began leads to surge of rats and mice

A record-breaking long, hot summer has led to a tenfold explosion in New Zealand's rodent population, with the country's urban areas worst hit.

The 2017-2018 summer in New Zealand was the hottest since records began, and fertile breeding conditions have led to a surge in rat and mice numbers.