THESE shocking images show a pack of dogs catching and killing more than 700 huge rats in one day from an infested pig farm.

The farmers, based near Eye, Suffolk, called in the rat pack when the vermin invaded and began nibbling at food stocks posing a potential danger to the livestock.

7 The pack of Norfolk Terriers worked for seven hours catching the rats Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

7 The pack of dogs caught 730 massive rats on the pig farm Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

The pack of small Norfolk Terriers worked for seven hours and collected the record haul - surprising even their owners.

It's the biggest haul of vermin ever terminated by the Suffolk and Norfolk Rat Pack, who offer a free-of-charge pest control service in the South East.

The remarkable haul of pesky pests, some weighing almost 1kg, were terminated by the dogs at a pig farm "crawling with rats", on January 12.

The terriers are trained to kill vermin and are managed by handlers who travel around the region to clear farms of vermin.

Ed Cook, 34, manages the service and said the Suffolk and Norfolk Rat Pack are dedicated to promoting traditional hunting methods.

He runs the dedicated rat control service with a handful of other volunteers who also take part just for fun.

According to the owner, the group gets an adrenaline rush from unleashing the dogs on the rats - all in the name of helping local farmers control problem vermin.

The Suffolk and Norfolk Rat Pack were called out to this particular pig farm last week because of a "huge rat problem".

Ed recalls how on the first investigation the barns were "heaving" with rats.

He said: "We sent one of our guys to take a look and it's one of the biggest infestations we have ever seen.

"They pose a serious risk to the spread of disease and loss of earnings because of the amount of food they eat.

"They are all breeders, too, so the numbers can increase dramatically and before you know it you could end up with thousands.

"It's really rewarding to see the dogs at work and it's an incomparable style of hunting."

Hunting rats is legal in the UK under the 2004 hunting act and Ed argues this method of pest control is more humane than killing with poison.

He said the dogs kill the rats within a matter of seconds and believes poison takes up to 48 hours to work properly, causing a "slow and painful death".

Ed said: "This is what the dogs are bred for. It is in their DNA to hunt.

"We don't really have to train them because it's their instinct to catch and kill rats.

"All dogs will play fetch but these dogs will go to extreme lengths to catch the rats.

"Once they are given the exposure to the rats they chase them down automatically. It's ingrained in their DNA.

"Some of these rats were almost as big as the dogs, it was incredible to watch.

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"The dogs are incredibly brave and it's remarkable how many rats they can catch, they just love it.

"When rats are poisoned it is a horrendous death and it can take up to 48 hours. It's slow and painful.

"This method is traditional and brings working dogs into good use. At the longest, it takes three or four seconds for the Terriers to make the kill."

7 The Suffolk pig farmers called in the pack after becoming overrun with vermin Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

7 Some of the rats weighed nearly 1kg Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

7 It's the biggest haul of vermin ever terminated by the Suffolk and Norfolk Rat Pack who offer a free-of-charge pest control service in the South East Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

7 The rats posed a potential danger to the livestock Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

7 The owner believes that using the dogs is more humane than poisoning the rats Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

Huge rat faces off against dog in epic battle

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