Pop-Up Travel: Cane Rats in Ghana

Warning: This post contains graphic photos.

I have a lot of unfinished blogging business from 2014. I still haven’t shared everything from my most recent trip to Brazil, nor from my Zimbabwe trip before that nor my Ghana trip before that.

I hate to think about all the epic experiences and photos from these far-flung places that I haven’t shared on the blog yet. So I’ve decided to start a series of pop-up travel posts in which I’ll quickly share a photo or memory from a past trip.

Here’s my first pop-up travel post: Giant cane rats for sale on the side of the road in Ghana.

Mohammed Tahiru holds up two cane rats: one fresh and one smoked.

My friend Michelle and I saw quite a few people selling cane rats along the N1 highway between Ghana’s capital city of Accra and the town of Cape Coast. After passing the first couple of guys, standing on the shoulder of the road holding the rats up by their tails for every passing car, I finally worked up the courage to ask our driver to stop.

Mohammed (above) and his colleague were happy to allow me to take a few pictures in exchange for a polaroid portrait and a small fee. Mohammed is a friendly guy and we later connected on Facebook.

Mohammed and his colleague, whose name I forgot to ask.

These photos might be hard to look at for some of you. But before you scream curses at me and slam your laptop shut, I should tell you that cane rats, also called grasscutters, are a common source of meat throughout sub-Saharan Africa and are considered a delicacy by those who eat them. Cane rat meat has become so popular that the rats are even farmed in captivity now. (Read more on Wikipedia.)

Mohammeds sells his rats – either fresh or flattened and smoked – for 60 cedi, which is about R200 (or just under $20).

I didn’t try any. Just in case you were wondering.

Expect more pop-up travel posts over the next few months.