Philippines’ only cockroach expert defends bugs from extinction

A thin band of light from Cristian Lucanas’ headlamp pierces the blackness of a Philippine rainforest as he digs through the underbrush before gently scooping up a cockroach with his bare hands. As the Southeast Asian country’s lone expert on the oft-misunderstood insect – and discoverer of 15 species – friends have dubbed the soft-spoken scientist “Ipis Lord”, after the local name for the ubiquitous bug. While fully aware most view cockroaches as disgusting, disease-bearing pests, the...

By Agence France-Presse