Art for Gorillas

According to our students, the giant-pouched rat (Cricetomys emini) is the King of Thieves. Kid’s drawings in our previous post illustrate the rat carrying anything and everything and taking these found objects, pebbles, food, money and metallic trash back to their burrows. I get a sense that these nocturnal rodents don’t pose a serious threat to the local communities but perhaps a source of humor.

In recent weeks, we’ve been covering life science followed by our lesson Animals Living in Volcanoes National Park. This week we are teaching our students what animals need to survive and learning about classification. The giant-pouched rat starred as our animal inhabiting the nearby forest.

Innocent asks the students what the animals living in Volcanoes National Park need to survive. What type of food do they eat? Where and what is their source of water? What kind of shelter?

Eric introduces a system of organization for all organisms.

A student rests on top of the bench while pretending to be the giant-pouched rat. AoC teacher Fahad talks about the rat’s size in comparison to the height of a human being.

A student imitates a pilfering giant-pouched rat.

More thievery.

Imitation of a runaway rat.

Visuals are passed around the classroom.

Drawing the giant-pouched rat.

Stay tuned here for more great animal pictures.

Tales and Pictures of the Giant-Pouched Rat by AoC students

Please correct me if I am wrong, but in trying to discern what species of rodentia may be found in and near Volcanoes National Park, the AoC team and I came up with Cricetomys emini (rainforests only) otherwise known as the Giant-pouched rat.

Cricetomys gambianus may also be readily found in the Northern Province of Rwanda.

Going with the former of the two, our lesson with the theme Animals Living in Volcanoes National Park, was quite humorous as our students shared their stories about the giant-pouched rat… the rat they know only too well.

The children exclaim, “The rats climb, dig, and in their homes you will find our money, clothes and radios!”

In a local Ugandan dialect, I am told by Mugabe who works at the AoC House, the rats are called Musomba byuma which translate into they will steal things made of metal.

“They enter our houses at night and nibble on our toes!” the kids continue with their stories.

When told that many people eat the rats, the kids appear astonished. They claim they do not eat them.

More rat news coming up and your comments on rodentia information is most welcome.