Rats are a tasty treat for villagers in the Thai countryside

Published on 13 Apr 2017 5:44:19 PM

From bugs to ant eggs, nothing is too exotic for the palettes of some Thai people.
Banking in on the bizarre tastebuds of the locals is a couple in Mukdahan, Thailand who are earning a handsome side income from breeding and selling bandicoot rats to their fellow farmers and neighbours for consumption.
These large rodents are also known as rice field rats in Thailand.
They can fetch up to Bt200 (US$5.80) per rat while the couple would hunt the rodents themselves.
The couple, who initially caught 50 live rats from the paddy fields, now own 600 rats.
The rats reproduce at the rate of four each month.
They claim to earn some Bt17,000 (US$494) per month from their customers who grill these rodents to make sour soup or sour stir-fry food.
Rats are generally consumed by villagers in the Thai countryside.