During the 1990s, a boarding school in Nigeria was plagued by an unusually large population of rats, which became a notable and persistent part of the students’ daily experience. Thousands of girls from across the country brought with them a range of food items, including cornflakes, sugar cubes, powdered milk, and hot chocolate powder. These provisions attracted a sizable rat population that thrived on the easy access to these snacks.

The rats were reported to gather in large groups—sometimes six or seven deep—on the scraggly lawns adjacent to dormitories, particularly at dusk. Initially skittish around humans, the rodents soon became more confrontational, resisting attempts to shoo them away. Students even resorted to clapping and stomping to displace the gatherings.

Over time, the rodents’ behavior was characterized by increasing boldness. Eyewitness accounts described rats that appeared unfazed by shouting, walking nonchalantly rather than running away, and displaying seemingly deliberate, almost calculated, actions. Anecdotes circulated about students waking to find rats nibbling at their toes or encountering maternal rats and their neonate pups in their beds. Some stories attributed almost sinister intelligence to the creatures, including claims that the rats would blow cool air to lull their human victims back to sleep during nocturnal visits.

One student recounted a vivid memory of being chased by two large rats while fetching water at night, which she relayed to her peers in a breathless retelling. Another reported returning to her dormitory to discover a mother rat and her hairless newborns beneath her pillow. Despite these unnerving experiences, there was recognition that the rats were part of their natural environment, coexisting with the human occupants who had encroached upon their habitat.

This coexistence underscores the tension between human settlement and local ecosystems, particularly in regions where natural habitats remain largely intact. The boarding school’s rat problem serves as a reminder of the challenges posed by wildlife adapting to human presence. Reflecting years later on the rats that infested New York City following pandemic lockdowns, the writer experienced vivid recollections of those childhood encounters, highlighting the enduring psychological impact of such encounters.