Slithering Buddhas (Jon)

Buddhism is the religion of 95% of the population in Thailand.

It’s fascinating being in Bangkok, a city of 10 million, which -- other than some suspect driving habits -- seems as aligned as the religion.

The buddhism precepts, not unlike other religions, promote good deeds. Here, such deeds are noticeable -- maybe to boost karma for an afterlife -- and it feels like a safe place to be.

Yesterday, after some reading and math workbooks (teachers are underpaid!) the kids voted unanimously on their afternoon activity. The Snake farm.

The snake farm is located in a central part of the city, shows up on every tourists city map, and shares a facility with a medical clinic. It’s the world’s second oldest snake farm in the world and does a lot of work with venom and using it to develop antivenoms (quick fact - Thailand is home to 200 different types of snakes, about 50 which are venomous).

We walked through the various outdoor cages to check out a variety of pythons and rat snakes. We then went to the indoor area where cobras and other venomous species were housed. Upstairs was an exhibit on the history and anatomy of snakes accompanied by some PG-13 pics of what could happen if you got bit.

The main part of the trip to the farm for the kids was to see the 2:30pm snake show. I’m sure the kids, like Sara and I, expected it to be one of those ‘Animal Kingdom’ shows you might see at school or camp. I expected a slow build up of small to big snakes, all non-venomous and user friendly, with some talking points about saving the snakes. What we witnessed would never be done at the Bronx Zoo, or in any country that knows about OSHA and litigation.

The kids moved closer to the performance area as the show was about to begin. 

The first snake that came out was a king cobra, pissed off and all with his hood up, followed by two Thai cobras, that carry a stronger venom. An aggressive rat snake came out, followed by a few smaller ones including a pit viper. They end with the big python, which Tyler volunteered to hold first.

The best part were the Steve Irwin like guys who handled the snakes. No gloves, no snake tongs, just bare hands to coral the snakes with one ‘you better not miss’ swipe and squeeze just below the head move. 

For some reason, the audience (myself included) watched with the false sense of security one would get on a safari sitting in a Jeep with no doors and windows surrounded by lions.

Did these snakes also believe in Buddhist principles of not harming others? Or were they the cautionary tale of bad behavior in a former life?