Malaysian Firefighter Denies Marrying His Pet Snake

Image: South China Morning Post

Malaysian firefighter Abu Zarin Hussin received an offensive shock last week when he found out that international news agencies claimed he had married his pet snake. Abu Zarin, who is 31 and working at the Temerloh fire station in Malaysia, was featured in Internet portals from around the globe such as The Daily Mirror and The Daily Mail.

Image: The Star

The articles inaccurately identified him as a Thai man who had married his pet snake as he believed it was his deceased girlfriend due to its “striking resemblance” to her. Unfortunately, the images that have been circulating were of Abu Zarin and his pet snake, but he is not married to it. He keeps the snake as part of his role in the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department.

Zarin conducts snake catching and training classes for firemen, who are often called up by members of the public who find the serpents in their homes or public places. Abu Zarin explained that he keeps snakes to better understand their nature and temperament.

Image: The Straits Times

"The snakes are with me so that I can observe their behaviour. Catching snakes are part of a fireman's duty. I am training other firemen how to handle and manage snakes. So that after they are caught, we can release them back into their natural habitat," he said, adding that he wanted to improve the current snake-catching courses.

The chief goals of the courses were for firemen to get accustomed with the species of snakes, especially the venomous ones and their bites, and how to capture them without killing them.