Rats empty 11 wine bottles at Tasmac shop in Nilgiris

The incident came to light, when the staff opened the liquor shop on Monday, after the State government lifted restrictions following a fall in the COVID cases in the district after around 56 days of closure.

To their shock, the staff found that around 11 wine bottles were emptied by the rats. “The rats had gnawed off the bottle caps to consume the liquor. Curiously, they targeted only wine bottles and did not damage other liquor or beer bottles. These rodents may have had a fondness for wine,” said a senior Tasmac official. The official said that the total cost of all quarter bottles was around Rs 1,400. Following information from the staff on the alcoholic rodents, senior officials carried out an examination, which revealed the presence of rats inside the shop, they said.

“Rats have entered the shop as it remained closed for a long time. Now the shop has been completely sanitised to keep away the rodents. There won’t be any more rat menace,” added the official.