In 2021, a scorpion named “Kara Akrep” (scientific name: Androctonus Turkiyensis) was certified as an endemic species in Turkey by an academic article in the journal Scorpioology, and it is also a money-making tool, because the export of scorpion venom is very valuable.
Turkey is facing a currency and exchange rate crisis and urgently needs foreign exchange. The export of scorpion venom has now become one of the small sources of foreign exchange.
A scorpion breeding factory in Sanliurfa province was established in 2020. It breeds a total of 20,000 scorpions. While breeding scorpions, they harvest scorpion venom.
It is then frozen into powder and sold to European countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Switzerland. Each scorpion can produce 2 mg of scorpion venom a day, and the entire scorpion farm can produce 2 grams of scorpion venom per day. The value of scorpion venom exports per liter $10 million.
Although the Turkish killer scorpion is endemic to Turkey, the business of raising scorpions is not unique to Turkey. Start-ups in South Africa, Morocco and other places have long taken a fancy to this business. Many studies believe that scorpion venom contains strong neurotoxins.
It can be the source of many biologically active molecules to facilitate the development of new treatments for diseases, new drugs or cosmetic products.
In the case of scorpion venom’s chlorotoxin, its propensity to bind to glial cells could lead to the development of special diagnostics, the location of tumors, or specific treatments for certain cancers.
Kaliotoxin has been used to treat bone disease in mice, and scorpion venom has also been used to eliminate malaria parasites in mosquitoes.
For the research purposes of the pharmaceutical factory, the scorpion breeding factory has shown its magic power in collecting scorpion venom, and the Moroccan enterprise has developed a machine for collecting scorpion venom
After clamping the scorpion tail, it is stimulated by electric shock to release the scorpion venom, which increases the safety and avoids accidental scorpion stings when the personnel collect the venom.
A tight demand and limited Clients
Getting stung by a scorpion can be a hundred times more painful than being stinged by a bee. But the risks of starting a scorpion farm don’t stop there.
In the beginning, at least a few pairs of breeding scorpions are required to be caught in the wild, which not only poses a personal risk, but also has to comply with ecological regulations;
Afterwards, it takes a considerable amount of time to breed a group from the first few pairs, and time is money, and corresponding capital has to be invested until it can be produced.
Although scorpion venom is valuable, the market is quite narrow, only specific customers need it, and the delivery time and output must be accurately matched. If you are not familiar with the industry chain, you may go bankrupt soon.
