Grassy Key, Florida is one of the most expensive and luxurious areas of the state, and its reputation is beginning to attract more than just rich and successful. It, like Hawaii, is becoming a hot house for the exotic and the grotesque. In April, wildlife officials discovered an 8ft Burmese python living in the Florida everglades, which had been feasting on the endangered Key Largo wood rats. Now they have discovered an equally disturbing new resident; Gambian rats.

These rats, unlike the endangered Key Largo wood rat, grows to weigh around 6 to 9 pounds, the same weight as a fully grown domesticated cat, and come complete with sharp teeth and an aggressive temperament. They are prime carriers for diseases such as monkey-pox; the milder strain of smallpox, and will contently devour crops. Many officials are worried about the affect that such animals could have on destroying the fragile ecosystem of the Florida everglades.

Their source is unknown, but it is most likely that this beastly breed of vermin was brought to Florida as pets, and subsequently escaped and bred across the state. Traps are being laid, and it is hoped that the outbreak will be brought under control by the end of the year.