Desparate People

Feb 17, 7:49 PM EST

Report: Cambodians Resort to Eating Rats

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) -- Fear of catching bird flu from eating chicken has prompted some people in northwest Cambodia to resort to eating rats, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

Rats have been fetching good prices in Battambang province during the last two weeks, according to Rasmei Kampuchea, or the Light of Cambodia.

The newspaper said villagers catch the rodents in nearby rice fields and sell them for up to 35 cents each to market vendors, who resell the meat for about 20 cents a pound.

"I started selling rat meat over two weeks ago when people became afraid of eating chickens for fear of getting infected with bird flu," Chhun Sarom, a 38-year-old vendor, was quoted as saying.

Cambodia is one of 10 Asian governments that have confirmed outbreaks of bird flu. The virus has killed 14 people in Vietnam, six in Thailand and tens of millions of chickens across Asia. Health experts say eating properly cooked chicken poses no danger to people, but the outbreak has chilled demand for chicken throughout the region.

There have been no reported human cases of bird flu in Cambodia, but three cases of the virus were confirmed in animals near Phnom Penh and at a zoo south of the capital.

More than 25,000 chickens, ducks and swans have been culled in Cambodia in an effort to stop the disease from spreading.

Chhun Sarom said he sold up to 130 pounds of rat meat a day. Mao Say, 50, told the newspaper that she and her four children catch about 18 pounds of rats in the rice fields daily.

People eat the rat meat with rice or as a snack while drinking alcohol.

Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Wow, that would take a whole lot of alcohol on my part.....:eek: