During the past five years, Vincent has been on call to remove snakes from all over Phuket, up to date he has successfully rescued more than 230 snakes, including monocled cobras, king cobras and pythons. He has rescued snakes from houses, gardens, cars, motorcycles and so many other places.
Explaining how he became “the snake guy”, Vincent said, “It was probably four or five years ago. I was on duty with the Thai Rescue Ambulance and we were dispatched to a building in Patong.
“I asked what we were going to and after a few minutes it became clear we were going to capture a large snake. This was my first time dealing with a snake and I was petrified, at the back following the Thai crew into the building.
“The snake was a reticulated python ‒ very defensive, but non venomous. This is the longest type of snake in the world!” he pointed out.
“At this point I decided that I needed to learn about snakes. I needed education about these amazing creatures. I have spent the past three to four years learning about snake behaviour, understanding the most common snakes to be called to in Phuket.
“I have studied monocled cobras, king cobras and pythons. These three types are the most common I deal with. Approximately 100 of the snakes I have rescued have been monocled cobras,” Vincent explained.
Times have changed, and Vincent is no longer at the back of the team entering a building to catch a snake. He is now the go-to guy.
“Now it’s a different story. The Thai crew where possible will call me in to deal with any snakes that need rescuing, simply because where possible I will use snake hooks and tools that cause little or no problems to the snakes that I rescue,” Vincent said.
“I do not fear snakes, most people. I have gained respect for them, and with respect it is much easier to work with them,” he added.
Vincent has just launched a registered charity here in Phuket called “Animal Care” to provide help to animals in need.
“Our plan is for the charity to provide rescue services specifically for animals in Phuket. We obviously specialise in snake rescues, but want to use our resources to help other organisations,” Vincent explained.
“Most recently we were called by Hug Me Vet Hospital to help recover a deceased street dog from a sewer. Our training and resources made it possible to recover the dog and allow it to be buried by the nice local lady who fed him,” he noted.
“Our volunteers will be trained to deal with various animals to make the rescues safer for the rescuers, but more importantly safer for the animals involved.
“We also plan to teach and train rescue departments locally how to deal with snakes in a safe but careful way to avoid any injury to the rescuer or snakes,” he added.
Vincent has paid for the costs related to setting up the foundation, but the group needs to have B500,000 in the charity’s account as part of the requirements for all new charities in Thailand.
“We do need people’s help, by making a donation or help with fundraising for our cause,” he said.
“We have approximately 45 days to get these funds into our account. We will continue to serve our community the best we can, it just makes it a whole lot easier,” Vincent added.
If you can help, call Vincent on 080-8648092.