Figure 1. The Urban Slum Environment of the Belen District of Iquitos.

(A and B) Typical houses in the Belen district, built on stilts to avoid flood waters when the river rises.

(C) Typical “sanitation” in the Belen Market area that attracts scavenger animals such as dogs and rats.

(D) A typical view of the Belen Market area where commerce is conducted. Rats are often seen beneath tables and in gutters. Rats are so abundant in the market areas that they are commonly seen during the day although they are primarily nocturnal.

(With kind permission of Springer Science and Business Media)