Cane Rat; £25

The genus Thryonomys, also known as cane rats, is a genus of rodent found in Africa south of the Sahara. They are eaten in some African countries and are a pest species on many crops.

Cane rats

Fossil Range: Late Pliocene - Recent
Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Thryonomyidae, Pocock, 1922
Genus: Thryonomys Fitzinger, 1867
Species:
Thryonomys gregorianus (Lesser Cane Rat)
Thryonomys swinderianus (Greater Cane Rat)

( From Wikipedia )

Any idea about Cane Rats? Even Wikipedia only has a stub for its entry about them. Their relative obscurity (here in the UK, anyway) begs the question "Why? Who would want a weird rodent anyway?"

Apparently people do! They're supposed to be tender and tasty to eat - something of a delicacy - so they can provide income for poorer people while at the same time helping to reduce demand for illegal bush meat, so protecting species who need it, and meaning that environment-crunching hunting methods don't get used as much - so the environment doesn't get crunched as much. Simple, but effective; and all from a weird wee ratty thing.

[ Send a Cow ratalogue, www.sendacow.org.uk ]