By Staff reporter
To be or not to be in the rat race is a question that has plagued humanity for the longest time.
In Tanzania's Morogoro, being in the rat race usually means burrowing your way into the rewarding business of breeding albino rats.
Leah Pangapanga ventured into this unusual territory more than five years ago, encouraged by the demand for albino rats in research institutions and laboratories.
A nest of 10 albino mice sourced from a friend quickly grew into a massive litter, and Leah hasn't looked back since.
"These albino rats breed a lot. The pregnancy cycle is around 28 days, and they give birth to a litter of 12 at a time. The best part is mother mice get pregnant quickly!" she tells TRT Afrika.
Growing market
Although the market for albino mice has peaks and troughs, the returns more than make up for it.
A breeder is paid an average of 5,000 Tanzanian shillings, or around US $2, for an albino rat. Since purchases are primarily in bulk, the volume of business spells big money.
"A single customer can buy 200 to 300 mice at a time," says Leah.
Colleges and secondary schools prefer albino mice for biological experiments as they are mammals with strikingly similar physiology to humans.
Breeding albino rats is also hassle-free for the most part. Their primary food is bran in a special mixture containing enough nutrients for rapid growth.
Many breeders choose a mix containing bran, seafood, shrimp, vitamin supplements and powdered milk to stimulate production.
Breaking taboo
One of the challenges faced by rat breeders in Tanzania is combating preconceived societal notions about rats as vermin and spreaders of diseases, mainly because they are associated with the plague.
Science shows that albino rats vastly differ from mice infesting homes and fields, causing significant damage.
When she started breeding albino rats, many people in her community thought Leah was risking her health for something that had potentially little value.
"They thought I was confused. I was already a large breeder of chickens, and people couldn't wrap their heads around why I was going into something they found strange. The truth is that breeding poultry is much tougher," recounts Leah.
"I gave up rearing poultry later because of high operating costs and diseases, unlike albino mice that need to be fed once a day and don't require as much attention as chickens."
The decision has paid off for her, as it has for other mice breeders. Besides science laboratories, a new market is emerging in Tanzania for albino mice. Zoos in the country sometimes use these commercially bred mice as food for snakes, growing the size of the market.
Such is the current demand that Leah sometimes fails to meet the requirements of all her customers.
She has been trying to convince others within her community, especially women, to breed albino mice and reap the benefits.
"I love mothers very much. So, when I see an opportunity, I like to involve them so that we can all benefit," Leah tells TRT Afrika.
"The few existing breeders cannot meet the huge demand being created. New schools are coming up, and scientific experiments are increasing, too. I see the market expanding further."
SUGECO, an institution established by graduates of the Sokoine University of Agriculture, has been doing its bit to remove misconceptions about breeding albino rats.
"Breeding white rats doesn't pose a danger to the health of the breeders or the environment as everything is done in a controlled area," it says.
"A breeder only needs to ensure cleanliness at all times and administer the mice drugs such as de-wormers and flea killers at prescribed intervals."
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