RAWALPINDI, Dec 15: For most of us, snakes may be the most repulsive, revolting and abominable creatures of the world, but for the 28-year-old Yaqoob, these venomous creatures are not only a way of making a living, but also a life-long passion.

Better known as the king of snakes among his friends, Yaqoob, a resident of Shamsabad, Rawalpindi, has been catching and selling these creatures for the last 20 years. At present, he has 1000 venomous crawlers at his house. He sells these to snake charmers and amateur keepers.

Talking to Dawn, he narrated the story of a woman who came to him all the way from Sara-i-Alamgir near Jhelum to buy snakes, which she wanted to keep in an aquarium at her home.

Yaqoob traces his love for one of the most dangerous creatures of the world to the age of eight years. He recalls that he started liking snakes by chance when one came very close to him once, but did not bite. This made him curious, and he came to learn that these creatures never attacked anyone unless they felt threatened.

After this, he made conscious efforts to understand the nature of snakes. He learnt their types and came to know which breeds were not poisonous. He said 90 per cent of the snakes found in Pakistan were non-poisonous. He is of the opinion that fear of the snake is worse than its bite.

He said he first learnt to catch the non-poisonous snakes, after which he moved on to the poisonous kind. He says he uses different methods like making various sounds and tapping on the ground in a particular way to bring a snake out of its hole.

Yaqoob said he had been bitten several times, but he always kept with him anti-venom injections or arsenic to keep him immuned. He claims that he is not afraid of being bitten any more, since he has consumed Sankhia or arsenic.

The poisonous kinds found in Pakistan included Cobra, Mandawa (mostly found in Balochistan), Egyptian Cobra, Golden Cobra, Crate (also called Sangchoor), Carbet Viper and Russel’s Viper, Yaqoob said.

Snakes are fed once a week and they like chicken meat. The most poisonous snakes in the world are Earthen coloured, Black, blue, brown and white.

About himself, Yaqoob says his mother lives with him, but she is not afraid of the snakes in his house. However, after his marriage, when his wife came to know about his unique interest, she secured divorce from him.

His ambition is to go to Canada and do research on 340 species of snakes found there. According to his wide and varied experience, snakes do not like extremely hot or cold weather. The death rate among them is highest in the extremities of weather.

Yaqoob says Sindh’s desert is the natural habitat of snakes. He said government health laboratories procured snakes from Sindh to make anti-venom medicines.

He has scientific knowledge about snakes and does not believe on myths and legends in this regard. He does not believe that these creatures are the guardians of treasures.