KAMPALA
For many people in Uganda, an impoverished, war-torn country, escaping the harsh conditions of rural poverty is a daunting task. But a young Ugandan seeking to do just that recently stumbled upon a dream money-spinner: he collects rare insects from the country’s lush tropical forests, pickles them and exports them to wealthy private collectors.
Foraging in the dense jungles for anything from stag beetles to centipedes and butterflies, John Asiimwe, 25, said his buyers lived in such diverse places as the United States, Spain, the Czech Republic, China and Japan. They include entomologists researching rare species, as well as gift shops selling insects on mounted frames as collectors’ items.