Sewer rats being caught for food

Updated on Jul 23, 2018 01:00 pm IST

Every evening, just after dark, Chea Sokom, leaves his corrugated iron shack on the outskirts of Phnom Penh and sets off on foot through his neighbourhood's myriad of dark alleyways. Armed with a homemade harpoon gun, a wooden club and a bag, he's on the hunt for rats, not to clear his neighbourhood of the rodents, but to catch them for dinner. Popularly considered a disease-carrying nuisance in many societies, rats here are considered by some to be a healthy delicacy due to their free-range lifestyle. Rats are also an important source of income for many families who sell them on to dealers, mostly in Vietnam where Cambodian rats are particularly prized.

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