Catching leeches: It's better-paying than a regular holiday job

MARANG: Many students may prefer flipping burgers at fast food outlets to earn pocket money during the school holidays, but in a village near here, there is nothing better or more lucrative than catching leeches. With no uniforms to don or punch cards to deal with, these part-time leech hunters only need to bare their legs in shallow water behind their houses to attract the ever hungry leeches. The best thing is, said 15-year-old Ubaidah Amir Shamsudin, he does not need to wait for a pay cheque as the leech business was strictly cash. A few hours of work gets him about RM100 to RM150. The Form Three student of Kampung Pengkalan Berangan said the only requirement was the will to withstand the itch after being bitten by a leech. "It is a job hazard but nothing that a little ointment can't cure," said Ubaidah, who claims to... [read full story]