Love of a pest
TOKYO--Growing numbers of japanese see the cockroac
h as the perfect pet and are paying good money to own w
hat most people regard vermin.
One pet shop in tokyo boasts 17 varieties imported
from around the world. "They are easy to keep, and very
affectionate," a shop assistant said. They are not fuss
y about their diet and eat bread crumbs, rice and any l
eftovers. The arverage price for an imported cockroach
is 3,000 yen($28), but rarer south america breeds can s
ell for 15,000 yen or more.
Asuka yoshimura,22, owns a wingless madagascar cock
roach. No other pet provides such soothing company, she
said. "It stays completely still, perched on a leaf. I
get a feeling of great serenity staring at it."
Experts say cockroaches exert a special attraction
because they have hardly evolved in billions of years a
nd pet owners have the sensation of looking at a primev
al form of life.
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