Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Cobra Show
Before the dive trip, we were bored, haning out in Phuket town. We decided to go check out a cobra show. It was a bit of a mission to get to the show. We hopped on a bus, got off at the wrong place, and then some locals got on their cell phone and helped us out.
Arriving at the sight, we first walked around the cages. There were several snakes and different animals as well. Some things we saw were, king cobras ( HUGE), and mangrove snakes, pythons, mongoose, and monitor lizards.
On one hand, to see these animals caged, and on display for tourists was a sad sight, but at the same time, it was a rare experience to see animals that you would not otherwise be able to see. At least, not see safely..
The snakes that "perform" are given breaks. That is, they are rotated, so that they don't get too overworked. Apparently, if they are overworked, they could die in a month.
During the show, the snakes are put into a ring, with a trainer. The trainer then provokes the snakes, sometimes 3 at a time. If you watch carefully, you will notice that the trainer moves his legs, while keeping the rest of his body relatively still, and looking into the snakes eyes. The snake is looking at him, but the movement of the legs will attract it more. Therefore, when the snake does strike, he knows that it will "most likely" strike the legs, and he moves it out of the way just in time. For some strange reason, I was convinced to go into the ring with some snakes as well. I bent down next to the snakes, while my friend took a photo. Meanwhile, the trainer is next to me, and I hope is keeping most of the snakes attention on him, rather than me.
Sometimes, the trainer gets bitten. If bitten by a king cobra, he is sent immediately to a hospital. Not only is a serum injected, but also, the area where the snake bit, most also be "cut out" from the body, as it has rotted. Then, he is kept in the hospital for a week, using an oxygen mask to breathe out of.
It was exciting to watch the show. At times, the trainers would poke the snake in the mouth, somehow without it striking. And then even kiss the cobra!
While the show is going on, an announcer is playing music, and bantering. He works very well with the trainer himself, and the show kept us riveted the whole time. We tipped the trainers after the end of the show. Takes guts and skill to do that with a snake.
Arriving at the sight, we first walked around the cages. There were several snakes and different animals as well. Some things we saw were, king cobras ( HUGE), and mangrove snakes, pythons, mongoose, and monitor lizards.
On one hand, to see these animals caged, and on display for tourists was a sad sight, but at the same time, it was a rare experience to see animals that you would not otherwise be able to see. At least, not see safely..
The snakes that "perform" are given breaks. That is, they are rotated, so that they don't get too overworked. Apparently, if they are overworked, they could die in a month.
During the show, the snakes are put into a ring, with a trainer. The trainer then provokes the snakes, sometimes 3 at a time. If you watch carefully, you will notice that the trainer moves his legs, while keeping the rest of his body relatively still, and looking into the snakes eyes. The snake is looking at him, but the movement of the legs will attract it more. Therefore, when the snake does strike, he knows that it will "most likely" strike the legs, and he moves it out of the way just in time. For some strange reason, I was convinced to go into the ring with some snakes as well. I bent down next to the snakes, while my friend took a photo. Meanwhile, the trainer is next to me, and I hope is keeping most of the snakes attention on him, rather than me.
Sometimes, the trainer gets bitten. If bitten by a king cobra, he is sent immediately to a hospital. Not only is a serum injected, but also, the area where the snake bit, most also be "cut out" from the body, as it has rotted. Then, he is kept in the hospital for a week, using an oxygen mask to breathe out of.
It was exciting to watch the show. At times, the trainers would poke the snake in the mouth, somehow without it striking. And then even kiss the cobra!
While the show is going on, an announcer is playing music, and bantering. He works very well with the trainer himself, and the show kept us riveted the whole time. We tipped the trainers after the end of the show. Takes guts and skill to do that with a snake.
# posted by jason @ 1:18 AM 
