Young Egyptian finds fortune in scorpions
Mohamed Hamdy Boshta keeps 80,000 scorpions
to extract venom for medicinal use
Location: Cairo, Egypt
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic and English) OWNER OF CAIRO VENOM COMPANY, MOHAMED HAMDY BOSHTA, SAYING: [SOUNDBITE SHOWING BOSHTA SPEAKING AS HE DEMONSTRATES THE PROCESS OF EXTRACTING THE VENOM FROM THE SCORPION]:
"We expose the scorpion to an electric current reaching 12 volts, 5 amperes, just to stimulate the scorpion to extract the venom. We put the electric current on one of the scorpion's vesicles or between each and every vesicle on the nerve centers. This way, the venom is released in front of us. We only get a very small amount to keep the purity of the venom. We have one drop of the venom."
A gram of scorpion venom can fetch $10,000
It is used to make anti-venom and a range of other medicines
including for conditions such as hypertension