A Thai snake charmer kissed 19 highly poisonous king cobras in an attempt to set a new world record last week.
One by one, the cobras were let out onto a stage set up in the Thai beach resort town of Pattaya, as the snake charmer, Khum Chaibuddee, kissed each snake and then moved on to the next.
Security was tight, with four extra snake charmers flanking the stage at each corner and a medical team waiting on the sidelines with medicine in case one of the snakes suddenly decided to bite, said a statement from Thailand's Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum in Pattaya, which organized the event.
PHOTO: EPA
The museum's manager, Somporn Naksuetrong, said Ripley's planned to apply for the attempt to be put in the Guinness Book of World Records to beat an earlier record set in 1999 when an American kissed 11 venomous snakes.
Snake charmers usually use either music or body movements to control snakes. Often they encourage snakes, which are normally poisonous, to rise up out of a basket or a sleeping position.
Chaibuddee, a part-time snake charmer for more than 12 years, urged children and onlookers not to try kissing snakes on their own. ”I, myself, have been bitten several times by snakes,” he said in a statement. “Always bear in mind the old story about the snake charmer who died (from being) bitten by snakes.” (AP)
泰國一位弄蛇人上週親吻十九隻劇毒的眼鏡王蛇,試圖刷新世界紀錄。
在泰國沙灘度假勝地芭達雅,弄蛇人坤.察布迪逐一親吻一個接一個登上舞台的眼鏡蛇。
主辦這項活動的泰國芭達雅「雷普利信不信由你博物館」在聲明中說,現場安全警戒嚴格,另有四位弄蛇人分駐在舞台四角,醫療小組也準備醫藥在場邊待命,以防眼鏡蛇突然咬人。
博物館經理索彭.納蘇松表示,博物館計畫將這項挑戰一九九九年一位美國人親吻十一條毒蛇的紀錄,申請列入金氏世界紀錄。
弄蛇人往往會用音樂或身體律動來控制蛇。他們鼓舞的通常是毒蛇,讓牠們從籃子裡、或睡眠狀態中竄出來。
當業餘弄蛇人已逾十二年的察布迪呼籲孩童與旁觀者不要試著自己親吻蛇類。「我自己被蛇咬了好幾次,」他在聲明中說︰「永遠謹記弄蛇人被蛇咬死的老掉牙故事。」
(美聯社/翻譯:賴美君)
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