Photo Courtesy Tigerhomes.org

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's "Snake King" Ali Khan Samsuddin, who broke records by living thousands of scorpians and hundreds of snakes, has died after a cobra bit him, reports said yesterday.

Ali Khan, 48, who wrangled with snakes for over 25 years, was bitten on his left hand by the six metre-long (20 feet) King Cobra during a snake show in the capital on Tuesday, and died on Friday.

"He had been bitten by snakes many times before, including three times by King Cobras... so we didnt think anything would happen," his son, Amjad Khan, 21, was quoted as saying in The Star Daily.

The snake charmer had been given outpatient treatment at a Kuala Lumpur hospital and had told his family not to worry before taking a turn for the worse, said Amjad Khan.

Ali Khan won fame after making it into the 1998 Guinness Book of World Records for living in a glass enclosure with 6,000 scorpians for 21 days. He also broke a Malaysian record seven years ago for living with 400 cobras for 40 days, the state Bernama News Agency said.

To read the rest of the news, click here: The Peninsula Online and BBC NEWS.

Darn... I didn't know at all that Malaysia has somebody who made it into Guinness Book of World Records!!!  I feel kind of proud, of course, but am sad too to know that he's gone now.  Just like Steve Irwin.  Died doing what he liked. 

*Sigh*  Life is short, eh?  No one knows when exactly one's life will be over.  So one common advice for everyone: Enjoy every moment of your life to the fullest and never (at least try not to) take anyone or anything for granted.

I'm trying to do that, even though I tend to forget.


Tags: Environment, News