Javed Sheikh holds a rat by the tail as he tries to kill it by hitting on the ground at a residential...
Javed Sheikh, 61, holds a rat by the tail as he tries to kill it by hitting on the ground at a residential complex in Mumbai October 18, 2011. About 44 night rat killers are employed by pest control department of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to kill the rodents in the city. Employees of the pest control department get a salary of 15,000 to 17,000 Indian Rupees ($294 to $333) while the contract labourers are paid 5 Indian rupees ($0.10) per rat they kill. The rat killers are expected to kill at least 30 rodents per night and hand over the carcasses to civic officials in the morning. If they fall short by even one rodent, they are expected to make it up the next night else they stand to lose a day's pay. Mumbai is the only city in the world which employs full-time night rat killers. Picture taken October 18, 2011. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui (INDIA - Tags: SOCIETY BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT)