A well-worn trap
With a rat trap slung over his shoulder, Mr. Tran Van Thanh (45 years old), residing in Vinh Gia commune, hurried along the canal bank to hunt field rats. The twilight scene in the vast, endless Long Xuyen Quadrangle fields stretched as far as the eye could see. The croaking of frogs echoed, the rustling of rats scurrying across the fields filled the air, and we looked towards the sparsely scattered houses along the canal, a scene of melancholy and sadness. Every afternoon, Mr. Thanh quickly ate his rice, then rushed to the fields to set over 200 rat traps. As dusk fell, with only a few traps left, he waded deeper into the fields. To catch live field rats, Mr. Thanh had to use cage traps placed along the rats' trails. With his keen eye, he could spot any trail where rats were present.
Mr. Nguyen Van Tam sets traps for rats in the Long Xuyen Quadrangle field. Photo: THANH CHINH
Mr. Thanh explained that rats are very clever. Although they create small trails along the dikes and rice paddies, if you're not skilled enough, you won't catch any in the traps. This is because there are many trails and openings created by rats in the fields, and they only go to places near their burrows for convenience. Bending down to set a trap, Mr. Thanh pointed to a burrow with many tiny rat footprints along the trail and said, "The footprints are still fresh; there will be many field rats. With 200 traps, I catch more than 6 kg of field rats every night."
Mr. Thanh has been making a living trapping field rats for over 25 years. His footprints are imprinted on the canals and rice paddies of this area. In this canal village, everyone knows him as a master rat trapper. Mr. Thanh recalls that in the past, this area was remote and sparsely populated, and at night, rats scurried around in the fields. The whole village would go out to the fields to catch rats, clean them, and sell them at the market. However, field rats were hunted with spears, making them less popular, so he switched to using traps to catch live rats throughout the fields.
Nowadays, live field mice are bought directly from homes by traders from many places, fetching prices of 60,000 - 70,000 VND/kg. On average, Mr. Thanh earns over 300,000 VND per night. The job of trapping field mice requires an investment of 30,000 VND per trap, which people replace every two years. "The cost of buying traps is affordable for my family. This profession has been closely associated with me for decades. Thanks to trapping mice, my family has a steady income, supporting my two children's education," Mr. Thanh expressed.
Wandering across the fields
Mooring their small boat on Canal H in Vinh Gia commune, Mr. Nguyen Van Tam (54 years old), a resident of Chau Phu commune, has been trapping field rats in the Long Xuyen Quadrangle for over 10 years. Their boat is like a mobile home; they stay, cook, eat, and sleep wherever they go. In recent years, having caught a lot of rats, Mr. Tam boldly invested in installing solar panels on the boat's roof to provide electricity for lighting and watching TV at night in the deserted fields. “The boat can carry many rat traps. Every night, my wife and I set up to 1,000 traps, catching about 20kg of rats. At 40,000 VND/kg, we earn 600,000 VND. The other day, I went to Chau Doc market to buy a solar panel system for lighting. Thanks to trapping field rats, we have plenty of money to spend,” Mr. Tam shared.
Following Mr. Tam deep into the fields of Vinh Gia commune to set rat traps, one truly understands the hardships of this profession. Carrying numerous iron traps on his shoulders, he painstakingly follows the edges of the rice paddies to set his snares. “Wherever there are trails used by rats, I set the traps. When night falls, the rats running by will get caught in the traps; I don’t need bait to lure them, and I still get a good harvest,” Mr. Tam explained.
Mr. Tam's family has little farmland, but thanks to his rat trapping business, he has a relatively stable life. Mr. Tam shared: "It's hard work, but I catch a lot of rats to sell to traders. Before, rats were everywhere in the fields, and people didn't bother eating them. Now, they've become a favorite dish for city dwellers. During months with fewer rats, the price goes up to 70,000 VND/kg, and prepared rats are around 90,000 VND/kg. Nowadays, traders drive right into the fields to buy rats from the farmers," Mr. Tam said excitedly.
Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong (50 years old), who lives in the same village as Mr. Tam, also had his boat moored nearby. Waves lapped against the sides of his boat as Mr. Phuong urged his wife to prepare dinner so they could begin their rat-trapping journey in the fields. Mr. Phuong and Mr. Tam are fellow workers, living together like brothers. Wherever Mr. Tam's boat is moored, Mr. Phuong also stays there. "Mr. Phuong and I are from out of town, in the same situation, so we care deeply for each other! Wherever there are rats, we share the territory to set traps and earn income to support our families," Mr. Phuong confided.
As darkness falls, the rat trappers cautiously make their way along the dike back to their nests. They lie awake all night, waiting for the rats to fall into their traps so they can harvest their bounty the next morning.
THANH CHINH
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/di-bay-chuot-dong-a478620.html
Comment (0)