Known locally as anyeri, wild cane rats have been hunted in northern Uganda for generations both as a way to keep families fed and to earn some extra cash during the lean months in the region's dry season. A single rat can fetch over 15,000 Ugandan Shillings (roughly $4 US). For male farmers in Nwoya district, edible rat hunting has been a way to keep their culture and history alive in spite of the previous decades of civil war and migration away to town centers.

The tools of the craft are simple--spears, sticks, and dogs. Over the course of an afternoon, the hunting parties of 5-25 men flush the rats out of the waist-high grass into termite mounds or the jaws of a waiting canine. The kill comes swiftly from a spear jab, and the prize is shared with the group.

Here are some shots from a recent hunt in the dry season of 2018. You can also view a complete photo essay featured on Matador Network here: bit.ly/2JEohaB