Viral 'Pony rats' video exposes rampant rodent infestation in Malaga's Huelin neighbourhood

Footage filmed on Tuesday on Avenida de Europa, right next to the Huelin street market, captured dozens of large rats roaming freely in broad daylight. Uploaded to TikTok by user @jkelyofficial, the clip amassed over 500,000 views, 1,000 comments, and 16,000 shares in just 48 hours while spreading rapidly across local WhatsApp groups.

The most striking element of the video, shot through the perimeter fence of the private plot, shows rodents - including several massive specimens and even a white rat - brazenly eating directly out of plastic bowls placed there to feed the local stray cat colony.

In the audio track, the onlookers express a mix of disbelief and dark humor: "They’re breeding... There are even white ones. It’s unbelievable - they aren't scared of anything. They’re as big as cats; look at that cat, it's scared stiff."

The camera zooms in on a local feline standing completely frozen a few metres away, visibly intimidated and unable to approach its own food bowl.

The Huelin video is only the latest flare-up in a rodent control crisis that has plagued several Malaga districts throughout the summer.

Last month, Sur reported on formal complaints lodged by the Pedregalejo Residents' Association following a summer-long infestation along the eastern coast. In response to mounting public outcry, Malaga City Council has intensified de-ratting operations, installing above-ground bait boxes and high-potency rodenticide across affected public areas.

However, residents note that privately owned vacant plots - such as the fenced site in Huelin - often create municipal jurisdiction hurdles, allowing pest populations to multiply unchecked and terrorise surrounding streets.