Guinea pigs could offer a valuable and life-saving food source in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, scientists at the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Columbia are suggesting.
These small, friendly creatures are nutritious, offering a much-needed source of protein and micronutrients in a country with some of the highest incidences of malnutrition in the world, a CIAT spokesperson explained in a Guardian UK interview. Guinea pigs also have the benefit of being small and easy to conceal, making them well suited to war zones.
The concept of eating micro-livestock is nothing new. Whether it is rats, snakes, guinea pigs, chickens, iguanas, bees or diminutive renditions of familiar animals like micro-pigs or micro-cattle breeds. In fact, there are many countries around the world consuming micro-livestock, including guinea pigs in the Andes, chicken in North America, quail in Japan and rabbits in China.
Unfortunately, micro-livestock rearing, like most modern industrialized meat production, places the onus on generating the most protein with the least resources possible and with little thought for the welfare of the animals. There is also the possibility that non-indigenous micro-livestock can escape, become feral, adversely impact the local habitat and compete with indigenous species.
Via Guardian UK
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written by kent , January 26, 2011