CityNews – It’s beetle-fighting season, and these combative critters are ready for a scrap.
Photos: Francis Wilmer.
Vendors selling the belligerent beetles set up their stalls each day on Rattanakosin Road in Chiang Mai. One told CityNews that he can make up to 10,000 baht a day selling the insects – more than he made a month in his previous job as a teacher.
During September and October, bouts between male rhinoceros beetles are staged across northern Thailand. They fight over a female placed in a hole on a small log, and whichever pushes his opponent off, lifts it up with his antlers or scares it away is judged the winner.
Many thousands of baht are bet on the fights, though punters often use paper tokens instead of money to avoid anti-gambling laws.
Look out for a more in-depth report on beetle fighting and other unusual pursuits in a future edition of Chiang Mai Citylife magazine.
Beetles for sale in Rattanakosin Road, Chiang Mai.