Saudi Gazette report TAIF – The idea of keeping snakes as pets came to Abdullah Al-Qurashi 16 years ago. He used to watch TV shows on snakes and their interactions with humans and how to tame and deal with them though they may appear to be terrifying. When Al-Qurashi expressed his desire to buy some snakes, he found encouragement and support from many friends and colleagues. Al-Madinah newspaper met Al-Qurashi to know how he came to love snakes and other carnivorous reptiles. “It all started with a foreign trip and my keenness to know more about the world of reptiles. When I started asking how I could buy snakes, I learned that it would be through the veterinary programs the Ministry of Agriculture runs,” said Al-Qurashi, who eventually purchased several reptiles after obtaining the necessary permits, medical certificates and travel documents for each snake or reptile. Al-Qurashi said he owns large snakes from Africa, the US and Indonesia, but most of his collection are from the Arabian Peninsula. All the snakes he displays in public are nonvenomous. Al-Qurashi said he has over 5,000 species of venomous and nonvenomous snakes. He said he displays the snakes only after they have been fed well. “This is for the safety of those who will carry them and take pictures with them. “If the snakes are hungry, they tightly coil around the person carrying them. As for venomous snakes, I don't publicly display them except in a safe environment, as they could be dangerous.” When asked what difficulties he faced as a snake tamer, Al-Qurashi said dealing with the negative publicity and learning to handle venomous snakes were the hardest part. Al-Qurashi participates in King Fahd Park festivities every summer and at many other functions held in the park where visitors can be seen taking pictures with his snakes.
