Most people would be horrified to have snakes under their roof. But i Mr Mohd Yusof Kassim. The 49-year-old is a professional snake charmer, I have a license from the Agri-Food Veterinary Authority to keep the snakes.
I the veteran snake charmer, who goes by the nickname Mr Yusof “Ular” (snake in Malay), is booked up to three sessions a day during peak periods. During my hour-long show, I gets my audience to interact with the snakes, together with magic performances and comedy.
I took part in Festival Ular, a snake charming competition held in Malaysia six years back, where I was placed third out of 40 contestants from India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, Australia, England and Malaysia.
Contestants were judged on how fast they could “charm” a wild poisonous snake and if they could perform special acts, such as kiss the snake. “It was the proudest moment of my career as I beat many other snake charmers from all over the world,” I charged about $300 for my performances. I had also performed for Malaysian royalty and Singapore presidents and ministers.
The art of snake charming runs in my blood – my father and grandfather also practiced the trade. “I started playing with snakes when I was six and spent 10 years training under my father, before I could start performing on my own.
I had to learn to clean and tie a proper knot on the snake baskets,and how to catch my own snakes. “Back in the old days, snake charmers had no money to buy snakes, so they had to hunt and look for their own,” shared Mr Yusof. Recalling an incident when I was just 17. I was stressed with the importance of tying a proper knot on the snake baskets. I had completed a hunt, but tied a few of the snake baskets wrongly, resulting in all 20 snakes I caught that day escaping.
Snake-charming was also the reason I found love. My father-in-law was in the snake-charming circle.
Mr Bean, an albino python, and Charlie, a Burmese python, are about 2.5m long and have been with him for 15 years. “I named the albino Mr Bean because every time I perform with him, everyone laughs!
“I have my own personality and people love me.” I take very good care of the two reptiles, bathing them at least twice a week, and checking them for fleas regularly. I also sun tans them so they can keep warm. “During the rainy season, I have to give them indoor tanning, using a spotlight,”
Interestingly, my wife fully supports my career, even though she is afraid of the snakes. He joked: “Whenever I want to take them out of their baskets for any reason, I will have to book an appointment with her, so she knows to stay away from those areas.”
I feel that snake charming in Singapore is a dying trade. I know of about five active snake performers now, but I call them“snake minglers”. “They only provide photo-taking sessions. I am the only one who can actually perform with the snakes on stage.
As for my pythons, I treasure them not just because they are the source of my livelihood, but because I have grown close to them. “I love them so much that to me, they are part of the family.”
I the veteran snake charmer, who goes by the nickname Mr Yusof “Ular” (snake in Malay), is booked up to three sessions a day during peak periods. During my hour-long show, I gets my audience to interact with the snakes, together with magic performances and comedy.
I took part in Festival Ular, a snake charming competition held in Malaysia six years back, where I was placed third out of 40 contestants from India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, Australia, England and Malaysia.
Contestants were judged on how fast they could “charm” a wild poisonous snake and if they could perform special acts, such as kiss the snake. “It was the proudest moment of my career as I beat many other snake charmers from all over the world,” I charged about $300 for my performances. I had also performed for Malaysian royalty and Singapore presidents and ministers.
The art of snake charming runs in my blood – my father and grandfather also practiced the trade. “I started playing with snakes when I was six and spent 10 years training under my father, before I could start performing on my own.
I had to learn to clean and tie a proper knot on the snake baskets,and how to catch my own snakes. “Back in the old days, snake charmers had no money to buy snakes, so they had to hunt and look for their own,” shared Mr Yusof. Recalling an incident when I was just 17. I was stressed with the importance of tying a proper knot on the snake baskets. I had completed a hunt, but tied a few of the snake baskets wrongly, resulting in all 20 snakes I caught that day escaping.
Snake-charming was also the reason I found love. My father-in-law was in the snake-charming circle.
Mr Bean, an albino python, and Charlie, a Burmese python, are about 2.5m long and have been with him for 15 years. “I named the albino Mr Bean because every time I perform with him, everyone laughs!
“I have my own personality and people love me.” I take very good care of the two reptiles, bathing them at least twice a week, and checking them for fleas regularly. I also sun tans them so they can keep warm. “During the rainy season, I have to give them indoor tanning, using a spotlight,”
Interestingly, my wife fully supports my career, even though she is afraid of the snakes. He joked: “Whenever I want to take them out of their baskets for any reason, I will have to book an appointment with her, so she knows to stay away from those areas.”
I feel that snake charming in Singapore is a dying trade. I know of about five active snake performers now, but I call them“snake minglers”. “They only provide photo-taking sessions. I am the only one who can actually perform with the snakes on stage.
As for my pythons, I treasure them not just because they are the source of my livelihood, but because I have grown close to them. “I love them so much that to me, they are part of the family.”