Delhi Mouse on the Birthday of Mickey Mouse

Today the world is celebrating the birthday of Mickey Mouse but in this post I am talking about the real (compared to the MM that is) rats of Delhi that are born and live in the strict human supervision. I was in the west Delhi yesterday in my first visit to that part of the city. In a market near Rohini I saw a cage full of rats and rabbits. The ‘shop’ also had pigeons for sale. Rs. 250 a pair. Those rats and rabbits were also for sale.

Or are they mice? In Nepali, I think, there’s only one word for what they call in English rats or mice: मुसा/मुसो । Whatever they are called but they are in fact anti-mouse/rat. They are domestic and meant to keep those nasty rats and mice at bay.

“And don’t those folks run away from home to the freedom?” I inquired to the man who was holding a rat for my camera.

“No,” he said.”They love being at the company of humans and in the home. They are just like dogs and cats.”

Talking about cats, I forget to ask what do these rats do when they see one around them.