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Leech
catchers of Taiping Villagers earn good income from selling
‘lintah’ to breeders
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Normally bare-footed and with their legs exposed, they scour the swamps in search of the blood-sucking lintah or buffalo leeches. They make some cash by selling them to leech breeding farms which have sprouted here and in Kedah in recent months. The income which the villagers earned is more lucrative compared to other tasks as leech breeders pay them between 50sen and RM1 per leech caught in the wild. “Within an hour, I can make more than RM40, which is more than what a laborer makes in a day,” said Talib Rahman who plucks oil palm fruits as his full-time job. His newfound activity has also caught on among children in the neighborhood. “The hungry leeches will come out from their hideouts in the swamp and cling onto our legs,” he said when explaining the method they used to catch the leeches. |
Talib, a father of four, said he had heard rumors that a leech breeder was willing to pay RM10 for each expecting leech but he had yet to locate him. On whether he had encountered poisonous snakes while on his hunt for leeches, he said he had only came across baby pythons so far. “We only scour the swamp during the day which enable us to see potential dangers around us,” he added. Norazman Othman, who runs a leech breeding farm in Kampung Perak, Taiping, said he started the farm a few months ago under the guidance of a Kedah-based company which provided him with the necessary expertise. “I have spent about RM30,000 to construct four ponds for the leeches so far and our first harvest is expected to be collected by the company next month,” he said. He said a number of villagers here had also expressed their interest to join in his venture. |
Norazman, 38, feeds the leeches with eels which he also breeds nearby. “Some leech breeders in Kedah, due to a shortage of eels, are using frogs instead to feed their leeches.” He said the leeches harvested from his farm would be exported to Europe. “I am told by the company that the leeches would be processed into cosmetics and medicine,” said Norazman who also plans to process the leeches he breeds into leech oil, which is traditionally used for the libido. The leeches, which mature within five months, can fetch him about RM80 per kg.
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