Bualeechai Cunjaimeangesan aged 64 kisses one of his snakes at his home in Ban Kok Sa Nga north east Thailand
Bualeechai Cunjaimeangesan pictured by the spirit house in the snakes area in their village temple complex is the most experienced of the cobra boxers at his village which is famous throughout Thailand Snake boxers who keep king cobras for this purpose do not hurt their snakes They shadow box showing their skills by close contact including kissing the deadly snake s head The people of Ban Kok Sa Nga known as the King Cobra Village in north east Thailand have had a symbiotic relationship with the King Cobra for more than 50 years At one time they hunted and ate the snakes which can grow to nearly 4 metres Today they are part of the conservation effort for the creature regarded as endangered in Thailand And the cobras help them by attracting people to see their shows so they can buy the village s herbal remedies including one that they use themselves wan ngu which saves their lives when they get bitten by a cobra They keep their cobras and other snakes under their homes just outside the temple in whose grounds they put on shows for visitors It is a favourite for tourists and Thais alike The snake in this photograph is not a king cobra
Size: 3965px × 5287px
Photo credit: © John Keeble/VisualGems / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: age, aged, blue, colour, colourful, day, dramatic, eat, elderly, house, mouth, outdoors, reportage, ring, shrine, spirit, temple, vertical, vibrant, village, wat, winter
