HONG KONG (AP) – Hong Kong is home to a variety of snakes – from the venomous king cobra to larger species like the Burmese python. Whenever one of these reptiles slips into a house or gets shockingly close to a residential area, Ken Lee is one of the snake catchers called to capture the creatures.
But unlike commercial snake catchers of yesteryear, whose catch is often served as soup in the town’s snake shops, Lee doesn’t sell the snakes he catches. He is part of a new breed of snake catchers that strive to release the reptiles back into nature.
“There have been occasions where people have caught the snakes before I got there, but unfortunately some of them were killed or fatally injured,” said Lee, 31, one of Hong Kong’s youngest recorded snake traps. “Some people bravely caught the snakes, but it actually caused damage to wildlife.”
Like many snake catchers in town, Lee is self-taught. He first started working with snakes when he was 17 years old, when he worked as an apprentice in a snake shop in Hong Kong. His experience spurred him to learn more about biodiversity and biology, which he eventually went on to study at a university in Taiwan.
When Lee catches snakes, he uses a variety of equipment: puncture-resistant gloves, sticks, hooks, a flashlight, and bags. Sometimes he even uses his bare hands.
In early December, he made headlines when he successfully captured a 3-meter-long (10-foot-long) Burmese python in a village in a rural part of Hong Kong. That same month, Lee was also called to a high-rise residential building in a rural area to catch a bamboo pit viper – a common, poisonous green snake whose bite can cause a nasty swell.
The snakes he catches are sent to Kadoorie Farm and Botanical Garden, a local non-profit organization that provides wildlife rescue centers. After a health check, most creatures are then released back to the local parks.
“I hope all of these wild animals can be returned to nature,” said Lee.
He currently works as a research assistant at four universities in the city and as a volunteer with the Hong Kong Society of Herpetology Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of reptiles and amphibians.
While Hong Kong has plenty of green areas that serve as different habitats for snakes, Liz Rose-Jeffreys, Kadoorie Farm’s conservation officer, thinks the city’s urban development could threaten the survival of snakes.
‘I think this is actually mutual respect. They are our wild neighbors, they have been here much longer than us, and I think we have a duty to respect nature, ”she said. “They are an important part of our ecosystem, so removing snakes would disrupt the balance that has been around for years.”