Rodent Attacks Demolish Spanish Crops

As many as 750 million voles have descended on farmland in central Spain, and with government response slow, farmers are taking matters into their own hands. The reason the number of rodents has exploded over the past few months is unclear, the Christian Science Monitor reports, but a likely explanation is a mild winter—potentially the product of global warming.

The rodents have overrun roughly 1,000 square miles and done some €30 million ($40.5 million) in damage, and farmers worry about what they’ll eat if the voles are still around when planting begins next month. What's more, says an agricultural activist, "In most towns, we have seen nothing from the government." (More rodents stories.)