Photos: Thai firefighter save lives as snake wrangler

In the dead of night, Thai firefighter Pinyo Pukpinyo stealthily approaches a python coiled around the rafters of a home in Bangkok, and quickly grabs its head with his bare hands. Many homes in the Thai capital are visited by snakes, which live in underground canals and enter gardens or toilets during the rainy season in search of food. Bangkok firefighters spend more time catching snakes than putting out fires, with more than 100 snake encroachments a day in recent months, compared to just one or two fires, data from the city's fire and rescue department shows.

Updated on: Aug 22, 2019 4:24 PM IST

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Updated on Aug 22, 2019 4:24 PM

Firefighter Pinyo Pukpinyo, known as ‘snake wrangler’, shows a Kukri snake which he caught, at a fire station in Bangkok. Many homes in the Thai capital are visited by snakes, which live in underground canals and enter gardens or toilets during the rainy season in search of food. Bangkok firefighters spend more time catching snakes than putting out fires, with more than 100 snake encroachments a day in recent months, compared to just one or two fires. (Soe Zeya Tun / REUTERS)

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Updated on Aug 22, 2019 4:24 PM

Pukpinyo drives his car to catch a snake. In 2018, disaster prevention officials said they received 37,000 reports of home intrusions by snakes around Bangkok. (Soe Zeya Tun / REUTERS)

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Updated on Aug 22, 2019 4:24 PM

Snake catching equipments are displayed at a fire station in Bangkok. Pukpinyo has caught about 10,000 snakes during the 16 years he has performed this dangerous task. The fire station in northeast Bangkok where he works gets more than 3,000 telephone calls a year seeking help with snakes. (Soe Zeya Tun / REUTERS)

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Updated on Aug 22, 2019 4:24 PM

A white-lipped pit viper snake is seen on a wall of a house in Bangkok. Pukpinyo says he traps up to 800 snakes each year, about 70% non-venomous pythons, while the rest are cobras and other venomous snakes. The venomous reptiles are taken to a specialist institute that extracts snake venom to make an antidote. (Soe Zeya Tun / REUTERS)

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Updated on Aug 22, 2019 4:24 PM

Pukpinyo applies iodine after catching a python wounded by a plastic ring inside a home. In his free time at the fire station, Pukpinyo cares for the captured snakes, taking king cobras out of their cages to feed them. He also runs classes on how to handle snakes safely. (Soe Zeya Tun / REUTERS)

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Updated on Aug 22, 2019 4:24 PM

Twin sisters react as Pukpinyo shows a small python which he caught at their home. As a firefighter, Pukpinyo says he often grapples with loss, but his snake-catching talent gives him solace. (Soe Zeya Tun / REUTERS)

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Updated on Aug 22, 2019 4:24 PM

Firefighter Pinyo Pukpinyo poses for a photograph with pythons of which some were caught by him. “This job makes me feel like I’m a superhero,” he said. “I’m taking care of people who are in danger and in need of help, which makes me happy.” (Soe Zeya Tun / REUTERS)