Zero snake soup for Hong Kong's young snake catcher
Hong Kong houses various snakes - from the venomous king cobra to larger species such as the Burmese python. Whenever among these reptiles is definitely spotted slithering into a residence or coming alarmingly near to a residential location, Ken Lee is one of the snake catchers known as to capture the creatures.But unlike commercial snake catchers of yesteryear, whose catch is often served up as soup found in the city's snake shops, Lee doesn't offer the snakes he captures. He's part of a new variety of snake catchers who make an effort to release the reptiles back to nature. "
There are occasions where people have caught the snakes ahead of I arrived on the scene, but unfortunately many of them were killed or fatally injured," said 31-year-old Lee, who's among Hong Kong's youngest registered snake catchers. "Some persons captured the snakes bravely, but actually it caused injury to wildlife."
Like a great many other snake catchers in the town, Lee is self-taught. He 1st started managing snakes at age 17, when he worked well as an apprentice in a Hong Kong snake store. His knowledge spurred him to find out about biodiversity and biology, and he eventually went on to study that at a university in Taiwan.
Even though Hong Kong features ample green areas that serve as numerous habitats for snakes, Liz Rose-Jeffreys, Kadoorie Farm's conservation officer, thinks the city's urban creation may threaten the survival of snake species. "I think this is among mutual respect, really. They will be our wild neighbors, they are here considerably longer than us, and I think we've a duty to respect dynamics," she said. "They type an important part of our ecosystem, so if we have to remove snakes, then it could upset the balance that is established for quite some time."
