20-year-old Hassan Hussain is famous in his locality in Karachi for keeping a breed of Pythons as pets. These snakes are huge yet tamed. When this 20-year-old fellow was asked about his unique love for pets he said “I have had interest in animals since childhood. It all started when we used to bring cows and goats during Eid, then I bought some pigeons. After sometime I pet a crocodile and eventually got to know about snakes.” Hassan believes these pythons are harmless and have no poison in them and that interested him more”.
Hasan bought his first snake Sambuca for Rs 1200 at the age of 17 that developed his interest in snakes and then after more research he got to know about pythons. He shipped 16 pythons from USA because he was once cheated in Karachi when someone sold him Sambuca by calling it a python. Now he has Sambuca and Albino breeds.
To keep these snakes at home, Hassan has got a NOC issued by the city authorities the NOC is very important for keeping these kinds of pets as once Hassan’s NOC got expired and custom authorities shifted all his pythons to Karachi Zoo where they all died.
When Hassan brought these pythons they were just a feet long and now they have crossed ten feet length after living three years under their master’s nourishment. These pythons have an average life of 30-35 years. Although Hassan’s pet pythons can enjoy a meal of goat but he gives them rabbit, pigeon or chicken that can satisfy their hunger for good 15 days.
For the survival of this breed, Hassan has provided them with place on the top floor of his house. “ It is important to maintain constant temperature, moisture and cleanliness to suit the environment needed for pythons” said Hassan. The young fellow thinks these pythons are very easy to pet and are not at all a threat to human life “their bites hurt way less than a dog’s bite”.
Hassan neighbors do not seem to be any more shocked to see these beautiful printed species but unfortunately Hassan has kept his love for these deadly pets hidden from his family only his brother Hamza knows about it as it is his passion too. Hassan’s brother has also set up an NGO zoo, The Wildlife Experience center in North Nazimabad where they have a Wild life Awareness Center, recreational center and pet studio.
“We aim to provide education on snakes and some other animals too. We charge only Rs 10 for entrance fee just to cover some minor costs, otherwise we bear all the costs for our unusual hobby” said Hassan.
Contributed by: Amna Ahmad Zamani
Image courtesy: Hamza Hussain Shimjee
Declaimer: It is although an unusual passion for pets but we don’t recommend our readers to pet any deadly animal without parent’s permission as it could be harmful.
