Residents in Nanning, in the Guangxi autonomous area, created the unusual option after rodents were found to be clambering inside the vehicles and gnawing through the wiring. Parked automobiles have been found around the city sporting the makeshift, wraparound guards – called “car maxi skirts” in the Chinese media- some fashioned from fabric and chicken wire, others making use of bamboo.
“There are lots of rats in this location,” local person Mr Zhao informed Nanning TV, adding that it’s a particular problem throughout cold spells when rats prefer to cuddle down in warm locations, like automobile bonnets. “Putting these around the vehicles is an advantage, and it can likewise avoid kids from scratching them,” he states.
However it seems a few of less-robust developments are no match for the rodents’ gnashers. One lady revealed a rat-sized hole in a car skirt. “Can’t you see? The rats have nibbled a hole through it,” she told.
Numerous social media users are entertained by the curious sight, with one individual writing on the popular NetEase web portal: “I like this elevated Guangxi humor.” Some share the locals’ disappointments, however others believe they’re overreacting. “Are they preparing against a massive rodent intrusion?” one user asks.
One suggests a solution which does not involve covering your car in chicken wire: “They can raise a number of cats, we have a couple of strays on our estate, the rats don’t dare come out.”
However local differences are likewise apparent in numerous comments. Guangxi is known for using both cats and pet dogs for meat, and is house to the notorious Yulin dog-eating celebration, extensively discredited elsewhere in China. “Guangxi individuals have consumed all the dogs and felines, that’s why there’s a rodent catastrophe,” reads one comment.
