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Belg. J. Zool., 135 (supplement) : 11-15 December 2005
Importance of rodents as a human food source in Benin
A.E. Assogbadjo, J.T.C. Codjia, B. Sinsin, M.R.M. Ekue and G.A. Mensah
Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 05 BP 1752 Cotonou (Akpakpa-Centre), Benin
Corresponding author : A.E. Assogbadjo, e-mail : assogbadjo@yahoo.fr
ABSTRACT. Rodents are an important food source for villagers near the Lama forest reserve, located in the south
of Benin between 6°55 - 7°00N and 2°04 - 2°12 E. This study was designed to look at the consumption of rodents as
a food source combined with a survey of rodents sold in markets. Data was collected on : rodents species consumed,
frequencies of consumption and food preferences. Some animals were captured in order to confirm the species.
Rodents were a major part of diet included 10 species : grasscutter (Thryonomys swinderianus), giant rats (Criceto-
mys gambianus), Gambian Sun-squirrel (Heliosciurus gambianus), crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata), ground
squirrel (Xerus erythropus), grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus), slender gerbil (Taterillus gracilis), Kempi’s gerbil
(Tatera kempii), multimammate rats (Mastomys spp.) and grass mouse (Lemniscomys striatus venustus). On aver-
age, young people and children consumed rodents 6 times per person per month. The preferences of local popula-
tions were grasscutter and giant rats which were sold in local markets at relatively high prices US$8-10 and US$2-4
respectively. It is important to conduct further studies to look at the impact of this hunting on the rodent populations
and to ensure sustainable harvesting.
KEY WORDS : Rodents, Human consumption, Lama forest, Benin.
INTRODUCTION
Little attention has been given to the beneficial effects
of rodents to human food security (MENSAH, 1991; JORI et
al., 1994; HANOTTE & MENSAH, 2002). In Africa, rodents
are a significant source of animal protein for humans,
especially in tropical Africa (AJAYI & OLAWOYE, 1974;
MALEKANI & PAULUS, 1989; FALCONER, 1996; MALAISSE,
1997; NTIAMOA-BAÏDU, 1998). In Benin, there have been
few studies conducted to show how important rodents are
in helping to ensure the food security of the populations
(BAPTIST & MENSAH, 1986; CODJIA & HEYMANS, 1988;
HEYMANS & CODJIA, 1988; MENSAH, 1991; ASSOGBADJO,
2000). Therefore, a better understanding of the way
rodents contribute directly to the diet of local populations
is required. This study, carried out in Lama forest reserve
(Bénin), describes a case study on the consumption of
rodents by forest-bordering human populations.
Study site
Lama forest reserve is located in south Benin from
6°55’ to 7°00’ N and between 2°04’ and 2°12’ E (Fig. 1).
It covers 16,250 ha, including 2,290 ha of dense forest as
censused in 1999. The bordering populations of this forest
comprise 20 rural villages with an estimated number of
41,500 individuals (1998) belonging mainly to the Holli
and Fon ethnic groups. The altitude of the forest averages
60 m. Soils are vertisols of a clay-sandy type. The water
network is exclusively composed of ponds and seasonal
streams. The climate is a transitional guinean type, falling
between the bimodal and unimodal rainfall distribution.
The annual average rainfall is 1,112 mm. The annual
average temperature varies between 25°C and 29°C. Rel-
ative humidity remains very high throughout the year,
even in the dry season. The vegetation of the forest is
composed of about 173 plant species and belongs mainly
to the soudano-guinean and guineo-congolian flora.
Accordingly, the natural vegetation of the forest is charac-
terized as dense humid semi-deciduous forest. In spite of
intensive poaching, it contains a rich and fairly abundant
fauna that is maintained by protection activities.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
This study comprised two phases : (1) food consump-
tion and socio-economic investigation in the bordering
villages and (2) the captures of rodents in various vegeta-
tion groups and villagers’ farms. A total of 126 villagers
were classified into three age classes (young, adult and
old) and two genders (male or female) (Table 1). Villagers
between 5 to 25 years old were considered as young, an
informant aged 26 to 50 years old were considered as
adults, and an informant aged above 50 years old were
considered as old. A structured questionnaire was used to
interview individuals or a group of informants by com-
bining retrospective method with direct observations. For
examining the relative importance of rodents in the diet,
data were collected from information on the consumption
of other mammals to pair them with these obtained on
rodents. Data were collected on the frequency of con-
sumption and the food preferences of each species of
mammals (including rodents). Practical handbooks were
used to help the informant in identifying the animal spe-
cies and also to obtain some useful information on it (DE
VISSER et al., 2001; KINGDON, 1997; SINSIN et al., 1997;
HEYMANS, 1986). The frequencies of consumption were
obtained by averaging the number of times a given spe-
cies was consumed per week and per informant. Three
level of consumption frequency were defined as :
A.E. Assogbadjo, J.T.C. Codjia, B. Sinsin, M.R.M. Ekue and G.A. Mensah
12
•Less consumed species : rodent species consumed by
1 to 25% of the informants
•Fairly consumed species : rodent species consumed
by 26 to 50% of the informants
•Highly consumed species : rodent species consumed
by more than 50% of the informants.
To capture rodents, we used a combination of several
methods. We lay during 2 weeks traditional traps cur-
rently used by local population in four types of
vegetation : fallow, dense and degraded forests, planta-
tions and farms. In addition, we employed indigenous
hunters to use their traditional rodent hunting techniques.
Hunting takes place between 6h and 12h in the morning
and between 15h and 18h in the afternoon. Regarding
giant rats, villagers dug them from their burrows with a
hoe before killing them and used chasing and bush fires
methods for other rodents. This enabled us to survey the
different traditional hunting techniques and to understand
how rodents were collected from the wild.
RESULTS
Diversity and habitats of rodents consumed
by bordering populations of Lama forest reserve
Ten rodent species were consumed by local populations
(Table 2) : Thryonomys swinderianus, Cricetomys gambi-
anus, Heliosciurus gambianus, Hystris cristata, Xerus
erythropus, Arvicanthis niloticus, Taterillus gracilis, Tat-
era kempii, Mastomys natalensis and Lemniscomys stria-
tus venustus. These species belong to 4 rodent families
namely Murideae (6 species), Sciurideae (2 species),
Thryonomideae and Hystricideae (1 species for each).
Although rodents were trapped in different vegetation
types, villagers’ farms and forests were the preferred hab-
itats for most of rodent species consumed (Table 2)
Hunting techniques for rodents
and other collecting strategies in the study area
The hunting techniques varied according to the type of
animal, vegetation and season. The most common hunt-
ing techniques were chasing, trapping and using bush
fires, especially at the end of the dry season before the
land preparation for agriculture. Bush fires were the most
frequently used technique for hunting rats.
The grasscutter (Thryonomys swinderianus) is the
rodent species most collected by local villagers, due to the
quality of its meat and the income that can be gained. Vil-
lagers hunt grasscutters in small groups of young people,
by lighting bush fires to disturb the animals and flush it
from the bush to be chased by dogs. Hunting takes place
between 6h and 12h in the morning and between 15h and
18h in the afternoon. Giant rats (Cricetomys gambianus),
were dug from their burrows with a hoe.
Fig. 1. – Location of Lama reserve forest in Benin
TABLE 1
Number of local villagers (informants)
who were interviewed for the study
Gender Young Adult Old Tot a l
Male
Female
Tot al
6
3
9
25
41
66
22
29
51
53
73
126
NB : The age classes were defined as : young, 5-25 years old; adults,
26-50 years old; and old, >50 years old.
Importance of rodents as a human food source in Benin 13
Grasscutters and giant rats account for most of the
cases sold after they had been captured (Table 3). Apart
from these two highly preferred species, other rodent spe-
cies are hunted by using bush fires, dogs and hunting.
People can buy rodents in local markets for their con-
sumption. However, this was uncommon in the study
area. Hunting is still the main way for villagers to obtain
rodents for animal protein. Table 3 outlines the average
numbers of rodents killed per week and per hunter. This
gives also the sale prices for rodent meats.
Consumption frequency for mammal
and rodent species
In villages around Lama forest reserve, any kind of
bush meat is considered as edible by local villagers,
despite the governmental restrictions on hunting. More
than 75% of the village population ate grasscutter, giant
rat, grass rat and crested porcupine, while the other rodent
species were consumed by 51-75% of the village popula-
tion (Table 2).
Rodent meats were consumed at least 6 (Fig. 3) times
per month per person. This rate was at least twice the
meat consumption of other mammal species (Figs 2 & 3).
The frequency of meat consumption in men is much
higher than for women (x² = 1.16, p < 0.05) (Fig. 3), and
the frequency of meat consumption for young people was
mush higher than old people (x² = 0.56, p < 0.05) (Fig. 2).
Local populations’ consumption preference
for various mammal and rodent species
More than 53% (made up of giant rat 5%, grasscutter
40%, common rat 8%) of the villagers preferred rodent
meat than the meat of other mammal (Fig. 4). The red
TAB L E 2
Mammal species consumed by local villagers.
Scientific name Common name Family
Habitat type Proportion
For Pla Far Fal Consumed
Thryonomys swinderianus Grasscutter Tryonomideae++++> 75%
Hystrix cristata Crested porcupine Hystricideae + + + > 75 %
Heliosciurus gambianus Gambian sun-squirell Sciurideae + + 51-75%
Xerus erythropus Ground squirell Sciurideae + + 51-75%
Cricetomys gambianus Giant rat Murideae + + + > 75%
Arvicanthis niloticus Grass rat Murideae + + > 75 %
Taterillus gracilis Slender gerbil Murideae + + + 51-75%
Tatera kempi Kempi’s gerbil Murideae + + 51-75%
Mastomys natalensis Multimammate rat Murideae + 51-75%
Lemniscomys striatus venustus Grass mouse Murideae + + + 51-75%
Habitat types : For = Forest; Pla = Plantation; Far = Farm; Fal = Fallows.
TABLE 3
Average number of rodents killed per week per hunter, and aver-
age sale prices per individual animal.
Species Number of
rodents killed Part sold Sale price in
1999 (US $)
Grasscutter
Giant rat
Other rodent species
4
10
15
The whole
The whole
Not sold
8 to 10
2 to 4
-
0
0,2
0,4
0,6
0,8
1
1,2
1,4
1,6
1,8
2
Grasscutter
Giant rat
Bushbuck
Bushduiker
Scrub hare
Red river hog
Species
Consumption frequency per person per week
Children
Young
Old
Fig. 2. – Consumption frequencies for children, young and old
villagers per individual per week for the most hunted mammals
in Lama reserve forest according to different age classes.
0
0,2
0,4
0,6
0,8
1
1,2
1,4
1,6
1,8
Grasscutter
Giant rat
Bushbuck
Bush duiker
Scrubhare
Red river hog
Species
Consumption frequency per person per week
Men
Women
Fig. 3. – Consumption frequencies for male and female villag-
ers per individual per week for the most hunted mammals in
Lama reserve forest according to informant gender.
A.E. Assogbadjo, J.T.C. Codjia, B. Sinsin, M.R.M. Ekue and G.A. Mensah
14
river hog (Potamochoerus porcus) also was a significant
source of meat (45%), with bushbuck (Tragelaphus scrip-
tus) accounting for 2% of consumption.
DISCUSSION
Wildlife constitutes an important food resource, which
cannot easily be replaced or removed without causing
negative socio-economic disturbances. To understand the
contribution of wildlife in the food of local populations
we should not consider only the big game. Most of the
meat consumed by forest bordering populations in this
study came from small mammals, which could be cap-
tured in any time of the year. If rodents were not availa-
ble, bush meat would not be consumed by more than 60%
of local populations (ASSOGBADJO, 2000). Rodents were
and still are the main source of animal food for rural pop-
ulations and provide an important dietary quantity of ani-
mal proteins (COLYN & DUDU, 1987; MALEKANI & PAU-
LUS, 1989; WETCHI et al., 1988). The grasscutter and giant
rat were most consumed by villagers in our study.
MALAISSE (1997) showed that 100 g of grasscutter or
giant rat’s fresh or smoked muscle provided 28 g and 42.6
g of protein, 10 mg and 20 mg of iron, and 936 Kj and
1132 Kj energy respectively. MALAISSE (1997) also indi-
cated that the nutritional value of rodents is similar to that
of beef and chicken. In addition, these two rodent species
are sold in local market at high prices, providing them
with a source of income. In Lama forest reserve, the sell-
ing price for a grasscutter was US$10-12 (Table 3). In this
area, a hunter killed an average of 4 individual grasscutter
rats per week. This is equivalent to an income of US$40-
48 per week (US$160-192 per month). This pattern is
characteristic in West Africa as NTIAMOA-BAIDU (1998)
reported that the incomes resulting from the sales of bush
meat enable households not only to buy less expensive
other source of protein such as fish, but also it helps sat-
isfy other needs for the families. For example, in Ibadan
(Nigeria), in 1975, when the meat of sheep and beef were
sold respectively at US$2.80-4.20 /kg, grasscutter meat
cost UD$9.60 (ASIBEY & CHILD, 1990). The hunting pres-
sure on wildlife led to a progressive reduced availability
of animal products in nearby cities where poaching was
common. However, due to their high rate of reproduction,
many rodent species populations were able to cope with
recurrent hunting without extinction (MALAISSE, 1997).
The limiting factor is much more the lack of thorough
knowledge on their ecology and the density of their popu-
lations. Therefore, it would be desirable to undertake a
population study in these regions to look at the impact of
this hunting on the rodent populations. The hunting of
wildlife, in particular rodent species as found here, pro-
vide important sources of animal proteins and incomes
for local populations, and therefore should be integrated
in the concept of sustainable development. The consump-
tion of large rodents for their meat (grasscutter and giant
rat) is not only a consequence of lack of meat, but also a
response to a set of complex factors including cultural
constraints, preferences and values. Such factors may
explain why older people consumed more rodent meat
than younger people in our study area and highlight the
importance of these resources for rural populations of
Africans.
CONCLUSION
Rodents will continue to be a considerable source of
animal protein and income for villagers of Lama reserve
forest. Rodents are the animal species most frequently
consumed and preferred by the local populations. How-
ever, wild animals, including rodents, are not always
taken into account in the national programmes for food
security. Management of these resources should be
included in sustainable resource initiatives that are
already part of the cultural values of poor rural popula-
tions. Production in the wild and production in the exten-
sive and intensive domestication of wild fauna can be
integrated into national programmes for protected areas
management. This is necessary to take into account the
concerns of local populations and concurrently to satisfy
requirements for keeping the balance within ecological
communities.
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