Is this the world's most gruesome food market? - PHOTO+VIDEO

The Tomohon Traditional market in North Sulawesi, Indonesia sells whole monkeys, bats, cats, dogs, pigs, rats, sloths and even giant pythons laid out on tables with painful expressions still etched on their faces.The macabre food stalls were witnessed by Oman-based photographer and blogger, Raymond Walsh, 44, who said it was easier to witness the dead and mutilated animals than it was to see the living dogs in cages awaiting their fate.Mr Walsh said: 'It was typical of a lot of local markets in the developing world - lots of fruit, vegetables and fish. The only difference was the sheer number of dead animals for sale.'On his blog www.manonthelam.com, he describes the harrowing sight of dogs in cages with their dead counterparts lying on a table nearby.'It was easier to stomach the entrails of monkeys, rats on a stick and decapitated pigs than it was to see those live dogs awaiting their fate,' he said.'The other animals seem foreign but I have friends who have dogs.' Although the market's dead dogs may be difficult for westerners to look at, Mr Walsh points to the different cultures and attitudes towards the animals in South East Asia.'Put simply, Westerners see dogs solely as pets. Indonesians see them as both pets and as sources of meat - it's just how we're raised,' he said.In the photographs, many of the animals are stiff and completely black with a haunting pained expressions on their faces.'After they are killed the animals are roasted over a fire, so the fur burns off, the skin tightens and peels back, causing that 'screaming' look,' Mr Walsh explained.'How they are killed depends on the animal. Cats, monkeys, and sloths are shot. Bats and rats have their heads clobbered against a tree or table. Pigs are stabbed with a sharp piece of wood or metal,' he added.'Wild boars are killed as they as they are trapped. Snakes are slashed with a knife or have their heads cut off. Dogs are strangled with a rope,' Mr Walsh went on.When asked to describe the smell, Mr Walsh said: 'In a word, appalling. There's something about the air that changes when there's that much death around.' 'It hangs heavy and it made me queasy and light-headed at the same time... It's the first time I'd ever encountered anything like it,' he added.(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az