Bug business: Hunter seeks cockroaches in bulk

Advert seeking roaches appear in a leading Urdu newspaper

ISLAMABAD: One might have heard the joke that when a nuclear apocalypse wipes out cities and towns, cockroaches will easily survive and take over. But the future of roaches may be at stake in Pakistan, as ads have started to appear in newspapers, seeking live cockroaches in bulk.

Through an advert which appeared in the Sunday edition of a daily Urdu newspaper, a man has sought live cockroaches in bulk, offering Rs5 for each live insect, without fearing for a possible action by the authorities responsible for protection of biodiversity in the country.

The Express Tribune called the number provided in the advert and spoke to a man who identified himself as Arsalan, a resident of Wah Cantt, and said that he deals in live cockroaches.

He said that he supplies the creepy-crawlies to different research laboratories across Pakistan, but did not share the names of the labs, only saying that his “father knows the details “.

He said he has supplied two consignments of 1,200 and 1,600 live insects, earning profits of Rs1.5 per insect.

“A few years back, Russia included cockroaches in its “red list” after observing that various types of cockroaches were disappearing from cities.

He said that large-scale hunting of cockroaches could have a negative impact on local ecosystems and biodiversity.

The official added that roaches are instrumental in maintaining the condition of sewers and gutters as they consume much of the organic waste.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2014.