02/05/2026

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SATURDAY | MAY 2, 2026

Locust hobby popular among Kelantan rural folk

New community recreational venue for Malacca MALACCA: Access to sports facilities among local communities are being expanded through the Madani Adopted Village initiative, with an open hall complete with a pickleball court being built in Kampung Sungai Putat here. Ayer Keroh state assemblyman Kerk Chee Yee said the project, which is part of a RM1 million allocation under the initiative, is expected to be completed by the end of June and will serve as a catalyst for active community participation in recreational activities, Bernama reported. He said the construction of the RM380,500 open hall in Taman Ara Permai not only provides a conducive community space but also introduces trending sports like pickleball. “More importantly, we are adopting a ‘people-friendly pricing’ approach at RM10 per hour, so that all segments of the community can afford to use the facility, compared with similar facilities that are mostly run by private operators.” He was speaking after attending a site briefing on the project on Thursday, which was also attended by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh, in conjunction with the Wakil Rakyat Untuk Rakyat programme for the Hang Tuah Jaya parliamentary constituency and Ayer Keroh state seat. Also present was Hang Tuah Jaya Municipal Council president Datuk Sapiah Haron. Kerk, who is also deputy speaker of the state legislative assembly, said the hall can accommodate about 200 people and is suitable for community programmes, including social events. He added that the development of the hall is in line with the Madani Park concept implemented by the municipal council, which focuses on transforming open spaces into active community areas. “Like the six Madani parks that have been completed, we are upgrading previously underutilised areas with facilities such as walkways, playgrounds and stages. “This approach has proven effective in encouraging interaction among multi-ethnic communities and revitalising the function of public spaces, and this open hall project is a continuation of efforts to enhance community facilities, including access to sports.”

KOTA BHARU: In this age of AI and information technology, the hobby of keeping and taking part in competitions involving “deer grasshoppers” is still popular here, and has the potential to be promoted as an identity and sustainable cultural heritage of Kelantan. Universiti Malaysia Kelantan Veterinary Preclinical Science Studies Department head Dr Goh Soon Heng said the trend is increasingly gaining ground among the young generation as it is an affordable hobby, apart from playing an important role in strengthening local community ties. “These grasshoppers are commonly found in rural areas and people used to enjoy listening to their sounds. From just a hobby of collecting them, it has now evolved into a competition activity that unites the grasshopper fans community. “The participation of young people is very important because they are the ones who will ensure this heritage continues to grow and is organised every year,” he told Bernama recently. On the competition format, Goh explained that the winner is not judged based on the size of the grasshopper, but rather the uniqueness and frequency of its hissing sound. “This competition is very unique because it is usually held at night with the lights turned off. Participants cannot see the grasshoppers, they can only hear their sounds. “The assessment is divided into two main categories, namely the ‘melodiousness’ of the tone and its frequency. The judges will count how many hissing sounds the grasshopper can produce in a period of 30 seconds.” Goh also shared that adult locusts can grow up to eight centimetres and have an average lifespan of about 12 months. o Competitions held to judge ‘melody’ and frequency of hissing sound produced by insects

Goh said adult locusts can grow up to eight centimetres and have an average lifespan of about 12 months. – BERNAMAPIC

Although the hobby is becoming increasingly popular, he advised the community not to overexploit deer grasshoppers in their habitat to avoid disruption to the ecosystem. “Currently, commercial demand (sales) is not that high because the community prefers to catch them themselves. However, if the wild population starts to decrease one day, the demand to buy them would increase. “Therefore, studies must always be conducted to understand the impact of this insect. We need to know how fast it reproduces so that we can set a safe catch frequency limit.“ Looking at the projections for the next five to 10 years, Goh expressed confidence that the deer grasshopper hobby could be sustained as a healthy cultural activity, in addition to fostering community awareness to better appreciate nature.

For the breeding in captivity process, it requires the provision of a conducive small ecosystem, including a variety of leaf food sources and a medium such as soil or sticks for the female grasshoppers to lay eggs. He also highlighted the important role of the endemic insect in the ecosystem, in which it feeds on wild plants and harmful weeds, in addition to being a food source for birds and other small animals. “Conflict will only arise when their habitat is destroyed. Without a natural food source, the locusts will move to vegetable farms and end up becoming pests.” Goh also shed some light on public misunderstanding about eating grasshoppers, saying the species that is usually fried and eaten by villagers is the “turmeric grasshopper” found in padi fields, and not deer grasshopper.

Education retains its importance in the Malaysian landscape for parents, students and stakeholders. The changes are fast paced with new developments in new fields of study such as cybersecurity, data protection, augmented and virtual reality, machine learning in education, digital education and artificial Intelligence. Leading the way are universities, who are invited to showcase their latest programmes, curriculum and content in our Education Focus for 2026.

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