It all started with a book:
Robert Sullivan's Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants. I'd been a fan of rats before this of course, having a horde of my own that I doted on, so when a group of people on my
Yahoo! Ratlist Group mentioned this book in paperback, I decided to check it out. I was enthralled. You see, I was always the sort of child that dreamed of going to Africa to study lions. Of course, Africa is far away, and lions aren't exactly friendly, so it was a dream that never really panned out. But rats.. they were
everywhere!
Or so I thought. Finding rats wasn't as easy as I'd imagined (unless you count peering into my living room at the fat rats sprawled in their hammocks-- but I was looking for wild rats). It turns out that rats are everywhere until you want one, then they're nowhere to be found. My first "rat encounter" actually wasn't a rat at all. I had opened my apartment door to take out the trash, and shrieked in surprise as a tiny mouse came hurtling toward me. The shriek was short lived-- "Why am I screaming? I have rats." A rather embarassing rodent experience.
It was a while before I saw my next rodent, but I remember the experience quite clearly. It was near dusk as I was walking home from work. I drew level with Court St and was waiting for the light to change when I saw something out of the corner of my eye-- a rat scurrying across the street! Without even looking both ways I took off after it as it ran beneath a car. A man across the street was looking at me in alarm. "That's a rat!" he called. "I know!" came my reply. I was giddy with excitement. My first rat! Still in my nice work clothes, I crouched down on the pavement to get a better look. The man was giving me advice now; "I think he went behind that wheel." A minute later the rat took off from under the car and under a building. I was struck by how incredibly fast he was. None of my rats are ever fast, not even when bribed by treats.
Dissapointed that my experience was over so quickly, I nonetheless thanked the man for his help and explained that I have rats of my own. He told me that rats are quite common in that section of the street.
The idea for the Rat Hunter Diaries formed that night. I wish to seek out these city rats, document my experience, even get photographs if possible. This blog will also contain my reflections on rats, whether they be wild, pet, or "inanimate"; my own explorations into the history of rats; as well as my experimentation with rats in art. I don't know if anyone will read this journal; I don't know if it'll be read by rat lovers only, or maybe others. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll win some of those "others" into accepting rats.
Hey, it beats hunting lions.
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posted by Sophielynette @ 12:01 AM