Hopping mad hunters stay up all night in Purwokerto

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.