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One might as well ask why do people eat cows, or chickens, or sheep! The fact is guinea pigs were originally domesticated thousands of years ago in the Andes for their meat in the exact same way that cows, chickens, and other animals were being domesticated in other parts of the world at that time. That's right, the only reason you have them as pets is because ancient Andeans ate them! To the ancient Inca, and other civilizations in that region, they were the primary source of meat before the Spanish conquest. Still to this day millions of people in Peru and Bolivia keep Guinea Pigs for their meat. The advantage over other animals is that they breed quickly, and can be easily supported by poor families who could not afford larger animals such as cows. It may seem strange or even shocking at first, but the fact is the domesticated Guinea Pig exists because of its value as a source of food.

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15y ago

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