Rats

In Deshnoke, a small city in the northwest province of
Rajasthan, India, pilgrims cross miles of scorching desert on
foot to pay homage to Karni Mata, the Rat Goddess. Thousands
of rats, believed to be the reincarnated souls of mystics,
roam fearlessly through Karni Mata’s temple, even in broad
daylight. Human worshippers bring the sacred beasts enticing
grains and fruits in silver bowls, occasionally offering an
affectionate pat on the head or scratch behind the ears as the
satisfied rodents stretch lazily in the sun.

The grateful rats select the tastiest morsels, of course, but
generously leave some tidbits for their devotees. Having
completed their sacred mission, the worshippers go home
fulfilled, and the rats remain, happy and well-fed. All in
all, the system seems to be working just fine.

On this side of the globe, humans fail to see the divinity in
their rodent neighbors. Reincarnated mystic or not, rats are
unwelcome in most American cities. Surprisingly, in New York
City, cultural center of the richest country on the planet,
people are not only unwilling to worship or share their food
with their rodent brothers, they actually consider a vigorous
population of several million rats a public nuisance!

rats are becoming an obsession for me: for the rest of the story go here: http://members.bellatlantic.net/~lilbun/ts/nyrats.html