Los Añujes

I spent most of my years in the Peruvian Amazon living at the IIAP field station in Jenaro Herrera (see Jenaro Herrera and Overnight Boat to Jenaro), but whenever I was in Iquitos I would stay at the Quinta Schaper with my dear friends and colleagues Christine Padoch and Miguel Pinedo Vasquez. Miguel had two añujes (Dasyprocta punctata Gray) that he kept around the house as pets (shown above in Elysa's arms). 

Once, when Christine and Miguel went to the field for an extended period of time, Miguel arranged for one of his friends in Iquitos to "take care" of his añujes. Unfortunately, the meat of these cute little animals is very tender and tasty and highly esteemed in the Peruvian Amazon, and to "take care" of pets, for some people, apparently includes roasting. The añujes were nowhere to be found when Christine and Miguel got back. Sigh.