 From
the Old World to the New
The cavy - or to use it's more common name the guinea pig
- is today one of the world's most popular pets, ranking only
a little way behind the rabbit. They've been around for a
long, long time - fossil records of the guinea pig's existence
date back to the Miocene period over 18 million years ago!
In August 2003 archeologists in Venezuela discovered the fossilized
remains of a huge guinea pig like creature called Phoberomys
Pattersoni, which grew to around 9ft long and lived around
8 million years ago! (To
find out more click here).
It's original home was in the savannahs of northern South
America.The wild ancestors of the guinea pig look very different
to the colourful varieties which we know today as domestic
pets. Their coats show a greyish agouti patterning similar
to that of the wild rabbit and this coat provides them with
a good level of camouflage. Before the colonisation of the
Americas by Europeans, the Incas had first begun to domesticate
cavies as both religious icons and as a source of food from
around 500 BC. In many villages in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia
cavies are still kept today as a source of food. Fed on scraps
and becoming food themselves when plump enough, as this mountainous
region has little space available for the raising of cattle,
as many as 7 million guinea pigs are eaten each year in Peru.
 However,
they were not bred by the Incas only for food. In Peru guinea
pigs have a hallowed place in native folklore. Guinea pigs
are still a common tool of ritual healers, or "curanderos,"
who use the animals to diagnose illnesses. Legend holds that
guinea pigs are mystical beings that can heal the sick and
assist the dying in the journey from the world of the living
to the great beyond... yet another good reason to make sure
that your domestic pets are happy and comfortable!
A 17th century native chronicler, Guaman Poma de Ayala, wrote
that the Incas sacrificed 1,000 white guinea pigs along with
100 llamas in Cuzco's main plaza each July "so that neither
the sun nor the waters would harm the food and the fields."
 From
the beginning of the Spanish colonization, the Catholic Church
brutally suppressed Indian religious icons. But the guinea
pig was spared. Geronimo de Loayza, the first bishop of Lima
from 1545 to 1575, refused a request by Spanish priests to
order the mass extermination of the rodents, fearing it would
spark a rebellion.The Spanish colonizers made Indian artists
paint, weave and carve items with Catholic themes to decorate
churches and evangelize the natives. The artists copied prints
imported from Europe, but added Peruvian touches. Today, churches
in Lima and Cuzco still display Indian depictions of the Last
Supper with Jesus and the 12 disciples eating roasted guinea
pig.
 Little
is known for certain about how guinea pigs were first introduced
to Europe and North America as a domestic pet, but the most
likely they came during the 16th century. As early as 1554
the Swiss zoologist Konrad Gesner wrote "On the Indian
Rabbit or Piglet"... originally people had assumed that
Columbus had actually discovered a new sea route to India
and therefore everything that came from the New World was
"Indian". At this time Holland, Portugal and Spain
had colonies in South America and the explorers returned to
Europe rich with gold and precious gems, along with other
exotic and exciting finds from the New World. Colourful parrots
became very popular status symbols in the homes of the wealthy,
and it is probable that with them came the guinea pig and
other animals previously unknown in Europe. It is said that
Queen Elizabeth I of England had a guinea pig of which she
was enamoured, and what was accepted by her no doubt soon
became an essential fashion accessory for everyone in her
court!
Selective breeding of guinea pigs began in Europe and spread
to North America during the 1920s when fanciers began exhibiting
their pets in competitions.The popularity of these animals
continues to grow and a quick search around the internet shows
clubs and cavy websites the whole world over form Japan to
Canada and from Sweden to Australia!
Why call them Guinea Pigs?
The origins of the guinea pig's name are also lost in history
and again there have been various theories put forward...Guinea
pigs are found, among other places, in the South American
country of Guyana which was a Dutch colony in the 16th century
and the name could be a corruption of Guyana. Another explanation
could be that they originally changed hands at the cost of
a guinea (twenty-one shillings in pre-decimalised British
money)... a princely sum in those days! As for the "pig"
end of the name, an explanation is much easier to guess...
the rounded rear end is so similar and they run and squeal
much as little piglets do!
The guinea pig's contribution to science
Guinea pigs have also played a very important role in the
field of medical research, and although most pet lovers today
may cringe at the thought of animals being used in laboratory
research the the historic and important contribution of guinea
pigs to science cannot be overlooked. Guinea pigs are often
used as a metaphor for any subject of scientific experimentation
(eg. "human guinea pigs"), and this idea persists
even though guinea pigs are no longer commonly used as modern
experimental animals, as rats and mice (which breed quicker)
have replaced them.In 1890 the antitoxin for diphtheria was
discovered using guinea pigs in the research, and as a result
the lives of millions of children have been saved. The guinea
pig's wide variety of hair types and colours have also made
them a prime choice for studies of genetics and heredity.
During the 20th century a special strain of smooth-coated
white guinea pigs called Duncan-Hartley were bred specifically
for laboratory work.
Sources:
* "Really Useful Guinea Pig Guide"
by Myra Mahoney
* "A New Owners Guide to Guinea Pigs" by Karen Bawoll
* "The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of Small Pets and Petcare"
by David Alderton
* "Rodents of the World" by David Alderton
For a more detailed and academic account of cavy history,
try Michael S.Forstadt's History
of the Guinea Pig webpage.
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