He's the Top Snake Catcher, and Business Is Booming. There's Just One Problem.

In Bangkok, where snakes are a constant presence, Pinyo Pukpinyo says business is booming—catching them, that is. Bangkok’s fire and rescue personnel capture about 30,000 snakes each year, and the 56-year-old, who joined the department at 18, typically wrangles more than 20 on an average half-day shift. His work spans sewers, flowerpots, toilets, recycling and vines that resemble them. He handles “scary” species including cobras, pythons, kraits and pit vipers. More harmless varieties include tree snakes, rat snakes, kukris and sunbeams. A key rule: he does not kill the snakes he catches.