I learned abt Taiwan's National Sun Yat-sen University's "Green rats extermination" project on Dongsha (Pratas) Island in South China Sea. It finally helped me answer some questions abt the Great Leap Forward.
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Taiwan controls Dongsha (Pratas) and Taiping Island in South China Seas. These islands r plagued by rats problem. Sun Yat-sen University's "Green rats extermination" project use ground Corncob flour (no kernels) mixed w peanut butter as rat feed. 
rats will bring back these corncob flour "candies" back to their nest to share. corncob flour absorbs water and expand. eventually rats die from dehydration. This solved a question I always had abt the Great Chinese Famine after Great Leap Forward.
In 1980s, our elementary school attached to Chongqing University invited a speaker to talk abt his experience. He started to talk abt his childhood growing up during the Great Famine aft the Great Leap Forward. He mentioned there's not enough grain, so they grounded up corncob...
According to him, the problem ingesting pancakes baked frm corncob flour is that it gave them constipation. He had to use hands to stick up his bunghole to remove poop! I didn't really understand why but the memory of the talk always stuck w me
The whole corncob flour induced constipation only confused me when later I learn fiber should help bowel movement. But Sun Yat-sen University's rat killing project suddenly answer a question I had since childhood.
But Taiwan rely on mainland imported corncobs. After COVID cutoff the trade link btw Taiwan and Mainland China. No more corncobs flour "candies" to kill rats on Dongsha (Pratas) Island. Rats got a second spring on the island.
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