Published on: June 21, 2023 03:46 (EAT)
Abdifatah Adhan Hajj is a self-taught snake handler in Lamu. Photo/ Abdulrahman Hassan/Citizen Digital.
Abdifatah Adhan Hajj is a 26-year-old self-taught snake handler in the little seaside town of Mokowe, Kilimani, Lamu County.
The snake handler has actually ended up being an important part of the Mokowe neighborhood, regardless of dealing with a variety of obstacles.
Abdifatah’s fascination with snakes started while he remained in high school from – enjoying a popular tv program on snake handling embeded in South Africa.
He says the program provided him a basic understanding of how to manage snakes, which he refined gradually.
In 2021, Abdifatah was utilized as a scout by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), where he managed his very first snake at the Lamu port.
It was a python, and regardless of the trouble of the task, Abdifatah handled to manage it with guts and ability.
Since then, Abdifatah has actually gone on to manage a few of the most poisonous snakes, consisting of the spitting cobra and the puff adder.
However, his enthusiasm for these animals features its own set of obstacles.
One of the most significant obstacles Abdifatah deals with is the absence of appropriate equipment to safeguard him while dealing with these hazardous animals.
Additionally, he has no location to take the snakes after managing them, aside from launching them back into the forest. This is since Lamu County does not have a snake farm, something that Abdifatah hopes will alter in the future.
Abdifatah imagine a day when Lamu will have its own snake farm, not just as a method to create profits, however likewise to develop an academic resource for the neighborhood.
The farm would likewise help the federal government acquire antivenom, which is presently provided by the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) in Nairobi.
Despite the obstacles he deals with, Abdifatah stays enthusiastic about the future. His enthusiasm for snakes and his desire to make a distinction in his neighborhood continue to motivate those around him.
He, nevertheless, cautions anybody who has actually never ever dealt with, or is not trained in dealing with snakes from attempting to manage the reptiles as they can be hazardous.
