Japan just allowed a scientist to splice human cells into rats — but that doesn’t mean the little critters are welcome to shop like they’re people.
A convenience store in Tokyo has closed its doors after a video was released showing several rats scurrying around the shop late at night.
A brief video posted on Twitter shows at least six rats climbing (and falling) down from the top of a wall cooler at the store in Shibuya, a high-end neighbourhood in Japan‘s capital. The video appears to have been recorded by someone holding a phone outside the store.
“Isn’t it a late night convenience store?” user Ginkai Ro wrote in a tweet with the video. The brief 15-second clip has racked up nearly 6 million views since it was posted on Sunday.
A second clip posted on Monday by user @y__ruki shows a rat munching on something between several shelves. The video was posted in response to the first one, although it’s unclear if it was recorded at the same store.
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“Also in Shibuya…” the user wrote.
The convenience store’s parent company, FamilyMart, has closed the store until further notice.
“We deeply apologize for making you feel uncomfortable and uneasy,” the company said in a statement about “unsanitary videos” of rodents at one of its stores.
FamilyMart says it takes the case seriously and it will ensure that disinfection and prevention measures are taken to address the “unsanitary” conditions before the store is reopened.
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