Pinyo Pukpinyo: Stealthy Snake Wrangler by Night, Firefighter By Day

Thai firefighter Pinyo Pukpinyo is known as one of the most daring snake wranglers in Bangkok.

Recently, he was seen approaching a snake coiled in the rafters of a home in the city and proceeded to grab it behind the head with his hands.

The 50-year-old gave a commentary as he approaches the 16-foot long serpent off the roof and wrestles it into a sack.

He said the snake is very strong, and if it managed to get some leverage, it would bite. Despite being nonvenomous, the 16-foot long python had very sharp fangs according to the snake wrangler.

At this time, the family was seen watching and recording the spectacle from a safe distance. The homeowner, Janpen Jarudecha, said she was impressed with the skill he had handling a snake that long with his hands and how he managed to fit it in a bag.

Several homes in Bangkok are visited by snakes which live within the underground canals and enter the lavatories and gardens during floods in search of food.

Just last year, disaster prevention officials claimed they got 37,000 reports of home intrusions by snakes within Bangkok.

The firefighters spent more time catching the snakes than they did putting out fires. Records say there are more than 100 snake encroachments which happen in one day during the recent months as compared to one or two fires.

It would make sense why a firefighter ended up becoming a snake wrangler half the time, considering it was more of his day job. Pukpinyo has allegedly caught 10,000 snakes in a time of 16 years. The fire station in Northeast Bangkok where he works receives more than 3000 calls every year seeking assistance with the serpents.

Pupkinyo claims, at the current rate, he traps an estimated 800 snakes every year. 70 percent of these are pythons, and the rest are the more dangerous cobras and venomous snakes. The venomous ones are then taken to a specialist site which extracts venom for research and antidote creation.

During his free time, he has learned to get more acquainted with the snakes by caring for them. He takes the cobras out of the cages to feed them and also conducts classes on how to handle snakes safely.

Pupkinyo says he usually grapples with loss considering the nature of his job as a firefighter. However, being a snake wrangler provides solace because he is helping people in an area that has much encroachment of snakes within human residences.