Egyptian Man Makes Fortune Hunting And Rearing Scorpions For Venom

Mohamed Hamdy Boshta sells scorpion venom for as much as $10,000 a gram.

Mohamed Hamdy Boshta, 25-year-old, shows scorpions that he hunted on Egyptian deserts and shores to extract their prized venom for medicinal use, at his company Cairo Venom Company, a project housing thousands scorpions in various farms across the country, in Cairo, Egypt.

Several years ago, a young Egyptian man abandoned his degree in archaeology to hunt scorpions in the country’s deserts and shores, extracting their venom for medicinal use.

At just 25 years old, Mohamed Hamdy Boshta is now the owner of the Cairo Venom Company – a project housing 80,000 scorpions in various farms across Egypt as well as a range of snakes, also kept for their venom.

Caught using a colored UV light, the scorpions are exposed to a tiny electric current to stimulate the release of the venom, one gram of which can produce between 20,000 and 50,000 doses of antivenom.

A gram of scorpion venom can fetch $10,000 and Boshta exports it to Europe and the U.S. where it is used to make antivenom and a range of other medicines, including for conditions such as hypertension.

Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping pincers and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and ending with a venomous sting. Scorpions range in size from 9–12 mm to 23 cm.

The vast majority of species do not represent a serious threat to humans, and healthy adults usually do not need medical treatment after being stung. Only about 25 species have venom capable of killing a human.

Scorpions are arthropods, they have eight legs, two pedipalps, and a tail with a venom-injecting barb. Scorpions have two venom glands that produce venom used in hunting and self defense. … All scorpions are venomous, they use their venom to paralyze and kill their pray and in self defense.

Scorpion stings are painful. Many may go through minor problems like swelling, tingling or numbness due to the sting. A bark scorpion sting can cause severe symptoms, as its venom is more potent. Young children and older adults may require immediate treatment.

Scorpions may not be cuddly, but they are quite interesting to keep as pets. They are quiet, clean, and fairly low-maintenance.