BANGKOK'S SNAKE HUNTER

In any job, experience is everything, and after 20 years of hunting the city's biggest and baddest snakes, with dozens of fang marks to prove it, Sompop Sridaranop has had more than enough on-the-job training.

"If a python bites, it won't let go of the victim, but will bite deeper and deeper into the muscle," said Bangkok's very own snake hunter, adding unnecessarily, "It's very painful.

"The only way to get free is to use some metal instrument and force its mouth open. A python has no venom but can kill or injure by squeezing the body. Every time I've caught a snake, and especially when I've been bitten, I've gained more experience. I've never wanted to quit. Now I know the snake's instincts and behaviour."

Mr Sompop is a caretaker and messenger for the Marine Department, working from 8:30am to 4:30pm, Mondays to Fridays. He is on call 24 hours a day but if called during his working hours he will ask permission from his boss, who he said always lets him go because he knows how beneficial the volunteer work is for the community and also for the reputation of the Marine Department.

Sometimes Mr Sompop lays a trap for snakes he wants to catch by preparing food as bait. The snakes will come and eat the bait and then it is easy to catch them, as after a meal they can't move for two or three hours.

He runs his volunteer snake-catching and animal rescue service out of a modest two-storey house squashed inside a small community behind Wat Sawettachart on Soi Charoen Nakhon 25, in Klong San district.

Six young volunteers, three men and three women, all from the tight-knit community, help him in the rescue work. Two of the men work in sales, one is a boxer and the women are all students. All the volunteers are aged between 18 and 25.

"They are helping me, but are not involved in capturing dangerous animals. That's my job. They will carry tools or the captured animals. I allow them to catch small, non-poisonous snakes. None of them has been bitten yet," said the wary Mr Sompop.

As well as snakes, he catches lizards, dangerous insects, dogs, cats and monkeys. But over the past 10 years, snakes have accounted for 95% of his work in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces. "I love animals and want to help people who need assistance," Mr Sompop said.

It might come as a surprise to some people, but he assures that the largest of his prey - pythons - are not restricted to Bangkok's leafy outer suburbs. They might prefer quiet areas with plenty of trees and a pond, but pretty much anyplace in the region with shade and a water source might be a home for pythons, said Mr Sompop. He has been called to remove snakes from drainage areas along busy Silom, Sukhumvit and Sathorn roads, where they prey on rats. He remarked that they lay eggs in March and April and can be aggressive in protecting their young.

Mr Sompop said the tools of the trade aren't hi-tech. They are all home made, some from golf clubs. His primary "emergency vehicle" is a motorcycle with stickers describing his service. If he is called to capture just one normal-sized snake, for example, he will go alone with his equipment on the motorcycle. If it is a big job - i.e., a big snake or many snakes - he will go with some or all of his team by taxi. Such was the case last week when the Brunch team witnessed the volunteer crew led by Mr Sompop at work as they captured a four-metre python at Wat Bua Kwan on Ngam Wong Wan Road in Nonthaburi province.

Someone spotted the snake with 22 eggs in its nest near a wall and contacted Dusit Zoo, who then called in Mr Sompop. He wore only protective gloves as he talked to the snake, which was sitting on the eggs and was aggressive. Finally the python attempted to slither away. Mr Sompop moved in and expertly handled it and put it into a bag, but not before the 15kg python wrapped itself around Mr Sompop's leg. It was pulled off by his assistants.

The eggs were also collected and put in a box. Mr Sompop said he will give them to a snake farm to breed.

Mr Sompop earns about 13,000 baht a month at the Marine Department. He says that's enough to live on and also to cover the cost of his animal-catching activities - usually around 5,000 to 6,000 baht a month. Sometimes he receives a small tip, 100 or 200 baht, as a gesture of appreciation from people he helps, but normally he gets nothing.

"I receive most calls for help in the night or early morning, mainly to catch pythons. They often enter houses during these times. They love to stay in the bathroom because it is cool and wet.

"Another common snake, also non-venomous, is the green snake. This one will go inside houses during the daytime to escape the heat. They don't like the sun and prefer air-conditioning."

Captured snakes are taken to the Thai Red Cross Society's snake farm in Bangkok. He normally delivers several snakes at a time to the farm to cut down on expenses.

THE SCARS OF SERVICE Despite the risks of his pastime, Mr Sompop has never killed a snake or any other animal - not even in self-defence or when he has been severely bitten.

Judging from the dozens of scars, mainly from snake bites, especially on his hands, this has been a regular occurrence. "I've been bitten over hundred times on my arms and legs by venomous and other snakes," he said matter-of-factly.

Mr Sompop explained that his social conscience was pricked when he was about 16 by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit's appeal for blood donors for the Red Cross. Her Majesty urged people not to be selfish and to help society.

"This got into my mind and I decided to follow her advice. I became involved in many community projects and received a number of awards and citations." Mr Sompop is also a police volunteer and has a licence to possess a two-way radio. "Often I get a call for help from police and rescue services through the police radio."

He captures 500 to 600 snakes every year, with the highly poisonous cobra being the third most common, after pythons and green snakes.

"This particular snake [cobra] lives in the outer areas of Bangkok, like around Soi Onnuj or in Samut Prakan province," he said.

In his experience, only young cobras will attack people. "They don't fear anything. However, the old ones will try to get away."

The longest snake he has ever had to subdue was a 5.5-metre python. "We got him near a private residence on Rama II Road in Bangkok about three years ago. It took 10 people to catch it," said Mr Sompop.

If you have an unwanted intruder in your home, Mr Sompop says the best thing is to leave the snake alone and wait for him to arrive. "However, you can protect yourself by spraying the snake with DDT or solar oil [paraffin]," he says, adding"they will definitely run away".

Another duty he performs is helping hospitals to treat snake-bite victims by trying to identify what type of snake inflicted the wound. "I can say if the bite has been inflicted by a poisonous snake because in such a case you will see very clearly two holes in the wound. A wound caused by a non-poisonous snake looks different. With a snake bite, you can see the teeth marks as well as the print of the mouth," Mr Sompop says.

His services are advertised by word of mouth. Many police officers and rescue service workers know him and will contact him if they cannot handle a situation themselves. He also puts small placards on trees, electricity poles and houses to advertise his free service.

Apart from snakes, said Mr Sompop, the most dangerous other animal he is called on to catch is the monkey, because of the bite wounds it can inflict. Many live in Bangkok, especially in Bang Khun Thian district, he said. Catching a snake can take anywhere from 10 minutes to a day, in which case some impatient residents will complain.

"I have to stand by all day and night. I get several calls every day. When people call me, the snake is usually inside the house. I had one case where lady was taking a shower and the snake went in through the bathroom window."

As part of his mission, Mr Sompop tries to educate the public about the physiology of snakes. For example, snakes have poor eyesight so they will strike at any moving object when threatened. People often make the mistake of running away when remaining still would be the best option. "Some people's perception of snakes is that they portend violence and are a bad omen," said Mr Sompop. "But in reality, snakes are good for the environment because they eat rats. Few people know their real nature. Snakes are not violent; there are reasons why they will sometimes bite people."