Extinct mammal discovered in Laos

What an amazing story. The Laonastes aenigmamus was "discovered" by western scientists in remote villages of Laos who were thrilled to find a mammal that they thought had been extinct for 11 million years. The little rodent is a nocturnal animal that is trapped and sold in the local markets for food. I'm now wondering if they were the roasted snacks sold on skewers that the kids hold up to the bus windows when you enter a village there. (For the record, I passed on sampling those particular rodents.)