Jordan's snake hunter keeps homes safe from slithering intruders

There are 37 kinds of snakes in Jordan but only seven are poisonous, says Yaseen Al Sqour

Snake hunter Yaseen Al Sqour carries a reptile in Balqa, Jordan. All photos: Reuters

Bahraini Sayed Adnan films Yaseen as he explains how to handle a snake.

Yaseen, 55, lives in Jordan's Irbid province and has a number of snakes at his home.

Snake hunter, Yaseen Al-Sqour, holds a snake using a catcher stick in Balqa, Jordan May 19, 2022. Snake hunter removes snakes from people's houses and releases them into the wild. He also raises awareness about the different venomous ones native to the country to educate people on how to deal with them. Picture taken May 19, 2022. REUTERS / Alaa Al Sukhni

Yaseen can handle all types of snakes with ease and can readily catch the reptiles.

'Other than venomous snakes, other snakes are not poisonous, they are beneficial for both the environment and people,' Yaseen says.

A snake hunter in Jordan is keeping people — and reptiles — safe from harm.

Yaseen Al Sqour travels across the country rescuing snakes from people's homes.

He looks after any that are injured before releasing them back into the wild, but he says the reptiles are also becoming used to living alongside humans.

30 types of snakes 'can live with you'

“There are 37 kinds of snakes in Jordan and only seven of them are poisonous — 30 are non-poisonous, which you can live with at home. They start getting used to living with humans,” Mr Al Sqour said.

He also tries to raise awareness about his favorite animal by posting videos about them on social media.

“Yaseen Al Sqour taught me about the different kinds of snakes, the ones that are poisonous and the ones that are not," said Sayed Adnan, a visitor to Jordan from Bahrain. "I went out with him to [visit] different places.

“[He] is known in Jordan as someone who travels long distances to save others.”

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