But ranchers here in northeastern Colombia fail to see the attraction. They claim that the barrel-shaped rodents, which stand knee-high to humans and weigh as much as 120 pounds, consume valuable pasture, foul drinking water and spook horses and cattle.
That antipathy, plus a booming market for chiguiro meat in neighboring Venezuela, has prompted open season on the rodents and landed them on Colombia's endangered species list.
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Newsday.com
Chiguiros, Colombia's super-sized rodents, being killed for meat
Feb 24 -- They look like hamsters on growth hormones, bark like dogs and swim as fast as otters -- all reasons why "chiguiros," the world's largest rodents, are an object of fascination for zoologists and wildlife enthusiasts.
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23 de febrero de 2009 a las 7:00 p. m.