Hopping mad hunters stay up all night in Purwokerto

By Agus Maryono and Ngudi Utomo

PURWOKERTO, Central Java (JP): Frog's legs are a speciality served in certain restaurants only. Some people may be averse to the idea of eating frogs. But those addicted to frog meat say that there is nothing to compare with a plate of the amphibian's legs. Apart from its delicate texture, frog meat is said to have curative power for skin diseases, rheumatism and even to have aphrodisiac qualities.

A catch of live frogs may not fetch as high a price as a platter of their legs in a restaurant, but it provides an adequate income for around 50 villagers from Kobocoran in the Kedungbanteng district of Banyumas regency in Central Java. They have been supplementing their income for decades by catching frogs.

"It's not bad," Supandi, a frog catcher, said.

A frog hunter's clothes and equipment resemble the attire of a fire fighter or miners. A flashlight is affixed to his forehead. "Formerly we used torches, hence we are often called torch- bearers. Now, things are different, we use flashlights in this modern age."

A flashlight requires a battery. "One night's use of a battery costs Rp 300," he said.

To catch frogs Supandi uses a bamboo pole with a small net at the end.

Catching frogs is not an easy business and the hunters must be prepared for a nocturnal lifestyle.

"Since catching frogs takes place at night, hunters never get a good night's sleep," Supandi explained.

As they stalk along river banks and paddy fields in the dead of night in search of their quarry, frogs hunters are often mistaken for thieves by night watchmen.

"I have once or twice been mistaken for a thief. Maybe because of my clothes," he said.

"It is worse if people see the way I walk while hunting frogs. I must take care not to scare them off so I creep stealthily along."

Supandi hates the moon. "If I go hunting under the light of the full moon, I never catch any."

The explanation for this lack of success may lie in the fact that during the full moon frogs seldom croak. For frog hunters, sound is very important because it is the only thing that leads them to their prey. However, hearing a frog is no guarantee of catching it. "If I hear a frog croak I must remain cautious, otherwise I can lose my sense of direction. If I attempt to approach it without hiding myself, the frog often hops it and escapes," he explained.

While looking for frogs, Supandi admits that he is always exposed to danger. "The biggest danger is an encounter with a snake." Frequent meetings with snakes is a bad omen according to Supandi. "Occasional meetings are okay. If during a hunt I come across snakes more than three times, it foretells of a fruitless nights hunting."

Frog hunters usually leave their house after sunset and return home toward midnight. On a good night, Supandi said he can bring home 20 to 25 frogs. Twenty large frogs weighing 2 kilograms can be sold for Rp 20,000 (US$1.8). He occasionally earns as much as Rp 40,000 for a 4 kilogram catch.

However, some evenings pass without a bite. He is left alone with the chirruping of crickets and the howling of dogs and not so much as a croak to be heard for miles. "Then I just spend the evening sitting and smoking," he said.

On evenings when his fellow hunters are too lazy to go out, Supandi likes to try his luck because when there is no crowd in the paddy fields and along the rivers, the catch can be bigger. "But sometimes I am afraid to go out on my own, because of the ghosts here," he said.

Rumor of ghosts in the Banyumas area has frightened the life out of many a frog hunter, but it is the hunters themselves that many suspect are the "ghosts" haunting the area.

Lehan, 35, a frog hunter from Kebocoran, narrowly escaped being mobbed by angry villagers who mistook him for a ghost.

"Luckily I managed to convince them that I was a living frog hunter and not a spook," said Lehan, who has lived a nocturnal lifestyle for five years.

Challenges faced by the frog hunters are considerable, but they say they enjoy their work and say the income from it often exceeds the fruits of their regular work.

"Catching frogs is actually a good job. It pays more than my day job," said Supandi, who is a blacksmith in the waking hours.

Nevertheless, Supandi and his colleagues think of frog hunting as a side job.

There are a number of restaurants in Purwokerto which buy the frogs from them for Rp 10,000 a kilogram.

Restaurant owners contacted by The Jakarta Post said that there are many connoisseurs of swike (the local name for frog's legs) in Purwokerto and that there is often a shortfall in the supply of frogs.

"The high demand for frog meat means our restaurant sometimes can't secure a reliable supply," said Nani, 23, a waitress in a star-rated hotel in the Baturaden tourism complex.

She said that one portion of swike costs Rp 25,000, twice what it cost before the monetary crisis.

Despite devoting hours to netting frogs, the intrepid hunters may never savor the delicious appendages of their amphibious prey. What counts for them is that they catch frogs and get paid for it. Occasionally they claim to eat frog meat, but then "only for medicinal purposes," said Lehan, who believes that frog meat has the power to cure rheumatism. Some even believe that frog meat has aphrodisiac qualities, he added with a twinkle in his eye.