Snipers are going after mutant rats.

Rats have been overrunning the city of Tehran in Iran.

And snipers are being sent out to take care of them.

The old tradition of poisoning the rodents is proving to be ineffective and with the rats inhabiting and wreaking havoc in 26 districts of the city, desperate measures had to be taken. An environment adviser in Tehran states “They seem to have had a genetic mutation, probably as a result of radiations and the chemical used on them. They are now bigger and look different.”

The rodents have increased in size from about 2 ounces to 11 pounds, meaning the mutant rats are now larger than the average-sized cat. Ten sniper teams have been deployed throughout the city to tackle the creatures, armed with specialized “infra-red sighted rifles”.

The council hopes to send out more sniper groups in the future.

Last year, the South African township of Alexandra took a different approach to ridding the area of rats. In order to help solve the infestation, the city gave out 100 cages residents as part of a campaign, which awarded a free cell phone to every inhabitant who caught and trapped 60 rats.