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Article: Guinea pig: It's what's for dinner in Peru - and the US; Farmers in Peru boost their income by exporting guinea pigs to immigrants in the US.(WORLD)
- Article from:
- The Christian Science Monitor
- Article date:
- November 1, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 The Christian Science Publishing Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Chip Mitchell Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor
LIMA, PERU -- Rosa Casimiro had always kept a few guinea pigs around the house. But her population started exploding last December. Now the single mother has 220 guinea pigs. And every month she brings another 70 or more to the market.
Ms. Casimiro's family is among 360 households in Huarmey, a coastal region 160 miles north of Peru's capital, Lima, trying to lift themselves from poverty by breeding the furry critters. Her operation has already doubled her family's income. "The money pays for my 12-year-old boy's schooling," she says.
And, like thousands of other rural Peruvians ...