By setting traps to catch rats, many people in Nghe An earn millions of money overnight. Thanks to this animal that destroys crops, many people are scared, some households build high-rise houses, buy cars…
Duc Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district, Nghe An) is famous for dishes made from rat meat. In the past, rats were hunted to prevent crop destruction and make “fun” dishes, but now rats have become a commodity, bringing good income to people.
Mr. Ha Van Cong – Chairman of the Duc Thanh Commune People’s Committee – said: “Hunting and selling field mice brings stable income to hundreds of households. There are households that earn 1-1.5 million VND/night by catching Rats for sale. There are 2 hamster purchasing establishments in the commune. On peak days, nearly 1 ton of live rats can be imported.”
Mr. Cung Duc Mau (Tho Bang hamlet, Duc Thanh commune) is one of two mouse purchasing establishments here. On average, every day, his facility purchases 5-6 quintals of live mice, some days up to 1 ton.
“At a time of cold rain like this, people can trap more rats. Rats, like other goods, if there is more supply, the price will decrease,” Mr. Mau said.
Mice imported are mainly hamsters and velvet rats, of which hamsters are the main species. Live and healthy mice are a prerequisite.
Ms. Phan Thi Nhien (Tho Bang village) loaded 3 boxes of rats on her bicycle and brought them to Mr. Mau’s facility. 18kg of rats were Ms. Nhien’s husband’s “trophy” after a night of setting traps.
“Some days he traps a few mouse nests, other days he only catches a few pounds. He’s old now, he and his wife just make money from the market. There are families in my village who are professional mouse trappers and catch a ton of mice every night.” “, Ms. Nhien said.
Mr. Hoang Trong Dan (Minh Chau commune, Dien Chau, Nghe An) was excited with the results of a night of rat trapping. For the past 3 years, this farmer has had a side job selling mouse traps. It’s called a side job, but the income from catching rats is higher than from growing rice and crops.
“I have nearly 100 traps. In addition to bait to lure mice into the trap, it is important to predict the mouse’s path. The characteristic of field mice is that they leave their burrows early in the day to look for food, and will return around 9-10 p.m. Just set traps in advance, some days a cage can catch 2 fish, but most times each cage can only trap one fish,” Mr. Dan revealed.
The field mouse hunting season starts from May to December every year, with October being the peak season. Rats are hunted using traps. The hunting process does not affect the rats’ health because the establishments only purchase fresh products.
After being collected, rats will be transported to Hanoi for consumption. According to Mr. Cung Dinh Mau, at the agents, the rats will be slaughtered and distributed to stores specializing in selling rat meat.
To have enough imported goods for the two purchasing facilities in the commune, in Duc Thanh commune, hamster hunting groups have been formed. They buy tools and trap in the fields of neighboring districts, sometimes going as far as Thanh Hoa or Ha Tinh. Because they followed a large group of people and set many traps, each night a group caught 4-5 quintals of field mice.
“There is no great secret to this profession. The most important thing is to work hard, be persistent, work at night and return at night, it’s very hard, especially on cold rainy days. But in return, going to the fields at night means you have money. Many households in Tho Bang village, Duc Thanh commune were able to build big houses and buy cars thanks to hunting field mice,” Mr. Cung Dinh Phong said.
Mr. Phong is considered a great rat hunter of Tho Bang village. One night, this man caught nearly 6 kilograms of mice.
After being weighed, the mice were placed in an iron cage and washed. On a hot day, during transportation by car, the owner must add ice between the mouse cages to maintain a cool temperature, avoiding mouse death or loss during transportation.
To ensure the purchasing, classification, and transportation of mice, Mr. Vuong Dinh Mau’s facility hired 3 additional workers.
“Mice are sold by weight and size. Small mice cost about 35,000 VND/kg, large ones cost 50,000-55,000 VND/kg, peak price is 60,000 VND/kg. We buy mice from people in the commune and even People in Dien Chau and Quynh Luu districts average 5-7 quintals of live mice every day,” Ms. Loan – Mr. Mau’s wife – said.
In addition to large hamster purchasing establishments, in Duc Thanh, many households sell hamster meat for retail, serving the needs of people in the commune.
Households here are proud of this work that haunts many people, because in addition to providing a stable source of income, they contribute to helping farmers eliminate rats that destroy crops.
($1=24,000 VND)
Photo,Video: Internet (Vinlove.net)