The Real Spiderman

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 25 February 2019)


                                        Yılmaz & friend.

Ali Yılmaz of Haliliye district in Şanlıurfa province, has been hunting
one of the world's most dangerous spiders, the black scorpion
(androctonus crassicauda), for 30 years. This particular scorpion is
peculiar to this region and Yılmaz finds them in fields and stables,
keeping them is special glass cases once captured.

Yılmaz sells the scorpions to the Turkish Health Ministry but his
dream has been to establish a facility to raise scorpions.  His dream
caught the attention of Emine Sabancı Kamışlı, one of Turkey's
foremost 'angel' investors.  Emine hanım invited Yılmaz to Istanbul
where they struck a deal to cooperate. Subsequently, 40 more 'angel'
investors joined in the project to produce scorpion venom, which is
used in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical sectors and which costs
$10 million per liter (!), making it one of the most expensive liquids
in the world.


                                Charming little fellow.


With the support of the 'angels' and KOSGEB (Turkish government
entity that supports small and mid-size businesses), the ALBILA
Serum ve Biyolojik Ürünler A.Ş. company has been established in
Eskişehir, with an investment of 20 million TL (about $4 million).
At ALBILA, the scorpion venom will be converted into anti-venom
and exported around the world by the end of 2019. 


'Angel' investor Emine Sabancı Kamışlı.

Yılmaz explained that "I began keeping the scorpions 30 years ago
to help with my school expenses.  The venom from black scorpions
is used in medicines for cancer, brain tumors and in botox, too.  Every
year I've been stung but it doesn't affect me because I've acquired an
immunity.  Since it's such a dangerous profession, there are only
two others doing it - one person in Brazil and one in Mexico.  When I
started I had 150 scorpions and now I have 500 full-grown ones.  I
nourish them with flour worms.  Each scorpion has between 20 and 80
offspring every year."


                           The accent is on 'alternative'.


Yılmaz noted that his work has been talked about in the U.S. and
German press.  Once word got around about Yılmaz, "I started getting
offers from pharmaceutical companies  and investors in America,
Germany, Israel, Iraq, Iran, Cyprus and other countries, saying 'come
work with us, teach us how to raise scorpions.'  But I'd rather be a
help to my own country.  This is my country, why would I go anywhere
else?  But some of them even offered me citizenship."


               Yılmaz models new ALBILA work uniform.