Actually, the 14 inch color television set was a prize won by Mokhairul Islam a 40 year old farmer from Bangladesh. The contest? Who could kill the most rats and Islam out distanced the 2nd place contestant by a wide margin. Over a period of 9 months Islam killed 83,450 rats while the runner up Fakhrul Haque Akanda only bagged 37,450. While Islam used mainly poison baits Akanda employed traps and many of those he invented. To prove the number of rats each man killed they both saved the tails of the rats they killed and when the tallies were in the grand prize went to Islam.
Click here to read the entire article"I am so happy to get this honor," Islam told The Associated Press after receiving a 14-inch television and a certificate amid cheers at an official ceremony packed with 500 farmers and officials. "I had no idea that the government gives prizes for this."
"This is an exciting moment. I will continue to kill them," he vowed.