It sometimes is less dangerous than it might look. It all depends on the ethics of the snake owners. Cobras are a comparatively slow species, both in movement and in striking. Maltreated/starved snakes would be even more so.
Maybe it's the same phenomena which makes people working on roofs and other high places neglect to use their safety harness, and then occasionally to fall: I have been doing this for ages and have never been bitten -> no problem, they don't bite.
Or he has already been bitten often enough to develop some level of immunity...
I actually like snakes (for me the 'eek!' species are some of the bigger bugs, although, who knows why, not spiders, them I can handle with no problems, as long as they are a non-venomous species anyway) , but since I don't like being bitten by anything, much less by something venomous, I definitely would not take that job.
I have known some people in my life who are the very definition of "unflappable": various pilots, door-kickers, surgeons, fire fighters, race car drivers... But this guy takes the cake. :)
Reminds me of a quote from "The Gods Must be Crazy":
"In this world of theirs, nothing is bad or evil. Even a poisonous snake is not bad. You just have to keep away from the sharp end. Actually, a snake is very good - in fact, it's delicious. And the skin makes a fine pouch."
Not only is he used to it, the snakes are used to it too - did that lady up on the wall just say, "You missed a spot!" in Siamese? Everything needs cleaning-out now and then, it's a dirty job.
Y'know.....RE: Tam's "unflappable" comment, I've done a few of the things she listed, and all require an advanced degree of "unflappability."
But unless you're dogfighting Me109s over the Channel or kicking in cave doors at Tora Bora, you've got a pretty good idea what volume of resistance you're facing, which gives you the opportunity to build a plan for dealing with it.
But this - I think Scotty, above, has it right - once awakened and alert, all those erect heads staring at you sorta exceed the maximum number of threats one individual can be expected to successfully deal with.
Then again, what passes for "normal" on this planet can be a really broad range sometimes.
The thai people also have a "if you die you die" attitude to life/safety. Which is why tourists sometimes end up electrocuted in hotel showers/pools over there.
I've never feared snakes nor have any issues handling them, but I don't have the reaction anymore to prevent from being bitten.
I have no issue handling or being bitten by non poisonous snakes, it happens to me fairly regularly, but knowing that I do get bitten by the non poisonous ones proves that I haven't the speed to deal with the dangerous ones.
Cold stacks the deck in your favor, but still, a potent neurotoxic like a cobra is nothing to fool with.
Not to try to sound badass but, according to some Thai Recon Marines some years back, cobras are pretty mellow critters, not crazy aggressive like their region-mates. Mostly only dangerous if cornered and/or you don't know they are there. They don't "strike" per se, they lack the explosive muscles of a rattlesnake which can actually throw itself forward.
Cobras can only lift about half their body length and then drop it at pretty much 9.8m/s/s, there's not a lot of speed there. The "strikes" you see in the video are about all they can manage which is why they hood up and try to look big. Once they drop they are vulnerable afterwards.
So, picking short ones up by the tail is pretty safe as they can only hold up about half their body length. If you have them by the tail they can't/won't climb themselves to bite your arm (a mamba will eat your face if you grab it) and if your reach is longer than about half their length they can't hit your legs.
Anyway, cobras look cool and their blood does give you the manly virility of the cobra (especially mixed with copious amounts of bootleg Mekong whiskey) but if I had to pick a room of venomous Asian snakes to be in it'd be 3-5' cobras.
Marja, a number of years ago I had a chance to interact with a doctor who knew a great deal about toxic critters and their bites, the treatment of which was a specialty of his. As of that time (so this may have changed), he wasn't aware of anyone who had ever been proven to have a built-up immunity to snake venom.
Kristopher, cobras, like many snakes, grow new fangs regularly over their lifetimes. You can de-venom a cobra -- the venom sacs don't regenerate -- but de-fanging it accomplishes nothing.
Other than that, I've nothing useful or interesting (and certainly nothing witty) to add.
(hmmm.... WV: 'bless'. Given the subject matter of the post, that seems slightly creepy for no explainable reason)
wow, this is crazy!! I even got nervous from watching him... but don't they milk the snakes? they take there venom away right? so even if he is bitten he only feels pain..
I don't care if those snakes are slow, well fed, cold, have had their venom sacks removed, are trained, and the guy is immune to them. He's still batshit crazy. There's too many critters moving in too many directions to have even the hint of sanity there. And that's before I say the word Cobra (which turns the dial to eleven!).
I'd pay more attention than that guy if I were cleaning out a pen full of squirrels.
Holy Crap!
ReplyDeleteJust goes to show how well we adjust to our own version of normal.
So is he looking towards the line from brave or crazy? The best view is the crowd of cobras all standing at attention watching him.
ReplyDeleteIt sometimes is less dangerous than it might look. It all depends on the ethics of the snake owners. Cobras are a comparatively slow species, both in movement and in striking. Maltreated/starved snakes would be even more so.
ReplyDeleteIndy: "Snakes. Why did it have to be Snakes?"
ReplyDeleteIn an interview he said he learn his job by working as a congressional page when he was younger.
ReplyDeleteGerry
I couldn't watch an entire two minutes. I didn't know I was afraid of snakes until right now. Indy was right!
ReplyDeleteWhatever they pay that guy isn't enough.
Are those eggs that the snakes have laid or eggs that they have been fed?
Maybe it's the same phenomena which makes people working on roofs and other high places neglect to use their safety harness, and then occasionally to fall: I have been doing this for ages and have never been bitten -> no problem, they don't bite.
ReplyDeleteOr he has already been bitten often enough to develop some level of immunity...
I actually like snakes (for me the 'eek!' species are some of the bigger bugs, although, who knows why, not spiders, them I can handle with no problems, as long as they are a non-venomous species anyway) , but since I don't like being bitten by anything, much less by something venomous, I definitely would not take that job.
Ed,
ReplyDeleteHeh.
I have known some people in my life who are the very definition of "unflappable": various pilots, door-kickers, surgeons, fire fighters, race car drivers... But this guy takes the cake. :)
Reminds me of a quote from "The Gods Must be Crazy":
ReplyDelete"In this world of theirs, nothing is bad or evil. Even a poisonous snake is not bad. You just have to keep away from the sharp end. Actually, a snake is very good - in fact, it's delicious. And the skin makes a fine pouch."
Not only is he used to it, the snakes are used to it too - did that lady up on the wall just say, "You missed a spot!" in Siamese? Everything needs cleaning-out now and then, it's a dirty job.
ReplyDeleteY'know.....RE: Tam's "unflappable" comment, I've done a few of the things she listed, and all require an advanced degree of "unflappability."
ReplyDeleteBut unless you're dogfighting Me109s over the Channel or kicking in cave doors at Tora Bora, you've got a pretty good idea what volume of resistance you're facing, which gives you the opportunity to build a plan for dealing with it.
But this - I think Scotty, above, has it right - once awakened and alert, all those erect heads staring at you sorta exceed the maximum number of threats one individual can be expected to successfully deal with.
Then again, what passes for "normal" on this planet can be a really broad range sometimes.
But it. He did. Wait. Did he? Uhm. Look over there! Holy crap. His back is turned. A conversation?
ReplyDelete...shut down to prevent further short cicuits... ...please try again later...
In flip-flops, none-the-less.
ReplyDeleteShould I have been laughing the whole time? The fact that it is, to him, unremarkable is what makes it remarkable.
ReplyDeleteCoincidentally, Steve Bodio has been running some true zoo stories from when he and friends worked at a zoo in Boston.
ReplyDeleteWatch out for the "special bond."
The thai people also have a "if you die you die" attitude to life/safety. Which is why tourists sometimes end up electrocuted in hotel showers/pools over there.
ReplyDeleteWould that be a high-capacity snake pit?
ReplyDeleteI've never feared snakes nor have any issues handling them, but I don't have the reaction anymore to prevent from being bitten.
ReplyDeleteI have no issue handling or being bitten by non poisonous snakes, it happens to me fairly regularly, but knowing that I do get bitten by the non poisonous ones proves that I haven't the speed to deal with the dangerous ones.
Cold stacks the deck in your favor, but still, a potent neurotoxic like a cobra is nothing to fool with.
I'm betting these snakes have had their fangs broken off.
ReplyDeleteThat's an awful lot of politicians to be cleaning up after. . .
ReplyDeleteI KNEW the economy was rough, but, DANG!
ReplyDeleteUlises from CA
I wonder if he'll have a sudden, fatal, delayed-onset case of the willies one day.
ReplyDeleteJim
Somewhere in Kentucky there's a small church that would like to extend a job offer to him.
ReplyDeleteTHIS is the guy that I want for Commander In Chief!
ReplyDeleteNot to try to sound badass but, according to some Thai Recon Marines some years back, cobras are pretty mellow critters, not crazy aggressive like their region-mates. Mostly only dangerous if cornered and/or you don't know they are there. They don't "strike" per se, they lack the explosive muscles of a rattlesnake which can actually throw itself forward.
ReplyDeleteCobras can only lift about half their body length and then drop it at pretty much 9.8m/s/s, there's not a lot of speed there. The "strikes" you see in the video are about all they can manage which is why they hood up and try to look big. Once they drop they are vulnerable afterwards.
So, picking short ones up by the tail is pretty safe as they can only hold up about half their body length. If you have them by the tail they can't/won't climb themselves to bite your arm (a mamba will eat your face if you grab it) and if your reach is longer than about half their length they can't hit your legs.
Anyway, cobras look cool and their blood does give you the manly virility of the cobra (especially mixed with copious amounts of bootleg Mekong whiskey) but if I had to pick a room of venomous Asian snakes to be in it'd be 3-5' cobras.
Some helpful advice here. Don't have your phone in your pocket set on "vibrate" while watching this. And then have a call come in.
ReplyDelete"He has obviously had his blood replaced with ice water."
ReplyDeleteTiger Blood?
WV: nuangi
A fantasy movie about a museum full of animals coming to life that was rewritten by a crack team of writers from the New York Times.
WV after the fail: penonwar
The title of Jeff Spicoli's upcoming epic treatise outlining the Libyan War's effect on the global hashish supply.
Not a pussy.....at all!
ReplyDeletea few minor comments...
ReplyDeleteMarja, a number of years ago I had a chance to interact with a doctor who knew a great deal about toxic critters and their bites, the treatment of which was a specialty of his. As of that time (so this may have changed), he wasn't aware of anyone who had ever been proven to have a built-up immunity to snake venom.
Kristopher, cobras, like many snakes, grow new fangs regularly over their lifetimes. You can de-venom a cobra -- the venom sacs don't regenerate -- but de-fanging it accomplishes nothing.
Other than that, I've nothing useful or interesting (and certainly nothing witty) to add.
(hmmm.... WV: 'bless'. Given the subject matter of the post, that seems slightly creepy for no explainable reason)
wow, this is crazy!! I even got nervous from watching him...
ReplyDeletebut don't they milk the snakes? they take there venom away right? so even if he is bitten he only feels pain..
CRAZY
I bet that is one of the "jobs Americans won't do."
ReplyDeleteMike Rowe can stop doing Ford commercials, there's another Dirty Job calling his name.
ReplyDeleteDayum! I like snakes, but that guy is a lot braver than I am. I don't mess with the venomous ones.
ReplyDeleteThat's creepy, the way they're all looking at him with their hoods out.
I don't care if those snakes are slow, well fed, cold, have had their venom sacks removed, are trained, and the guy is immune to them. He's still batshit crazy. There's too many critters moving in too many directions to have even the hint of sanity there. And that's before I say the word Cobra (which turns the dial to eleven!).
ReplyDeleteI'd pay more attention than that guy if I were cleaning out a pen full of squirrels.
Wolfwalker: It makes them safe, for a while.
ReplyDeleteThis is a common trick used by a lot of "snakecharmers" in India. The honest ones don't do it.