Other Free Encyclopedias :: Animal Life Resource :: Mammals and Other Warm-Blooded Animals - Vol 5 :: Cane Rats: Thryonomyidae - Physical Characteristics, Behavior And Reproduction, Cane Rats And People, Greater Cane Rat (thryonomys Swinderianus): Species Account - GEOGRAPHIC RA\NGE, HABITAT, DIET, CONSERVATION STATUS

Cane Rats: Thryonomyidae - Cane Rats And People

CANE RATS AND PEOPLE

The meat of both cane rat species is highly prized as an excellent and good-tasting protein source in an often harsh environment. Organized hunts for the animals are frequently held. Some farmers have even started to domesticate "microherds" of them, and families sometimes rely on sale of their meat for income. In Ghana, the price of cane rat meat reportedly surpasses that of beef, sheep, and pork. Farmers are often angered by the rats' frequent raids on their crops, and encourage pythons to come into their fields to feed on the animals.


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