One interesting stop we made in Phuket was to the Cobra Show and Snake Farm.
As you enter the grounds, the greeter takes a photo of you with a Golden Thai Python snake around your neck and a themed backdrop.
The guide then walks you through a display of various snakes in their cages. Here are some of the ones we got to see.
Homalopsinae buccata. The buccata live in the tropical regions of Southeast Asia and are considered a species of water snakes. They are non-venomous and maintain a diet of fish and frogs. They are also valued for human consumption, and their skin can be traded in the markets.
Banded krait. They can be found in Southeast Asia, and can reach up to seven feet long. They are both venomous and deadly; the body’s reaction to be poisoned is that the muscles become paralyzed and the diaphragm stops letting oxygen into the lungs. In Thailand, they are yellow and black, but in other areas of the world, they can be white and black.
Cobra. The cobra is not only of the most venomous creatures, but reach up to 18 feet long. The king cobras have been known to eat other snakes.
Burmese python. These pythons are home to the jungles and grassy marshes of Southeast Asia, reaching up to 23 feet in length and 200 pounds.
After the walk around the snake farm, it was time for the cobra show. The performer was very skilled and fearless. He brought the king cobras out of their cage one at a time, and set them on the floor around him.
As they lay out, he would put his head close enough to them to agitate them, then he would pull it back really fast before they could attack him. He did this several times.
Next he worked one of the cobras up enough to where he was able to pick it up and walk around with it.
For his last stunt, he took his time and little by little he was able to touch the frontal region of the snake.
And then he was able to put his mouth on the cobra’s mouth without any retaliation from the snake.
Once he had a good hold of the snake with his mouth, he was able to stand with it in place while holding another cobra in his hand.
The trainer’s ability to work with these poisonous snakes without getting bit was not only dangerous but very spectacular and mesmerizing! This is definitely a must see and will have you on the edge of your seat.
