The tropical climate in Phuket is the perfect home to over 60 species of snakes. Snake sightings are relatively common, especially if you ride a moped or stay in rural conditions with locals. 

However, it’s very unlikely you’ll be bitten by a snake in Phuket; they’re defensive rather than aggressive and will do their best to avoid any interaction with humans. If you leave them alone, they’re more than happy to ignore you. Most of the snakes in Phuket are far more interested in potential food than wasting venom on a passing human. 

But, what do you do if you get bitten? Should you carry anti-venom? Which snakes are harmless? These are just a few questions we had about snakes in Phuket. 

Fortunately, we found the man the had the answers to all our questions…

The Snake Guy In Phuket 

We visited Vinnie Modell, an ex-paramedic now known as “The Snake Guy in Phuket,” to learn more. Vinnie runs snake education events around Phuket (notice the phrasing here – it’s not a ‘snake show’). 

Our team attended a two-hour event filled with facts, demonstrations, and plenty of potentially life-saving advice. Aside from the educational content, the event was engaging, entertaining, and certainly had excellent comedic value (for this, we credit Vinnie rather than the snakes).

We asked Vinnie how he found himself in this line of work:

“So about five years ago, I joined the volunteer ambulance rescue service in Phuket. One night we jumped in the ambulance and one of the Thai guys said we were off to get a “snak” – I misunderstood that as we were going to 7-Eleven. 

What it really meant was that we were going to find a snake in a house. 

It turned out to be a 5-meter reticulated python – these aren’t the friendliest of snakes that we have in Phuket. But, we had a job to do, so we eventually went in! We caught the snake and at that point, I realized I needed to get more education and knowledge about snakes.”

Vinnie then dedicated the next few years to learning more about snake psychology, behavior, and handling techniques. He enlisted the help of a local Thai man named Johnny. 

Johnny was working alongside Vinnie at the event and appeared absolutely fearless; the fact that he was barefoot in a ring with venomous snakes says it all! 

Vinnie and Johnny work in a close partnership: 

“Johnny has been doing this for many years, more than 15 years. He knows these snakes inside out. He knows with complete certainty what these snakes will do before they do it. 

I was very lucky to be taught by him 4 or 5 years ago and he got me into handling the venomous and non-venomous snakes. He is a master and a legend in the snake world.”

During the event, Vinnie shares invaluable knowledge about snakes, the culture around traditional snake shows, and personal stories (including some lessons he learned the hard way!). 

Our team would never recommend an experience that we believed encouraged animal exploitation – we have no ethical concerns about Vinnies’ work whatsoever. 

We recommend these events to all travelers and vacationers interested in learning more about snakes. 

We asked Vinnie about his goals for improving animal welfare for snakes in Phuket:

“For snakes especially, there are very few groups that are proactive in the way of having better conditions for the snakes. Ultimately my goal is to take over a snake farm and completely change it into an education and rescue center, improve the conditions, rescue snakes, rehabilitate them, and get them back to the wild. 

I run these education events to try and teach people about snake behavior, rather than just ‘what happens if you hit them.’ 

So, I teach about what happens when you don’t hit them. I talk about passive interactions, how the snakes will behave, and how to keep them away from your house. It’s all about the ‘real life’ facts, not just what you see on tv.”

However, his goals stretch beyond the rehabilitation of snakes. He educates around Phuket with life-saving tips for locals and tourists alike. He also visits Phuket schools to teach the kids about snakes and how to handle them correctly. 

If you find a snake near your accommodation while you’re in Phuket, Vinnie’s a great guy to call – he’ll come and remove the snake safely and humanely (and he’ll probably share some funny stories about his time on the island). 

We asked him about his role in recovering snakes from people’s homes: 

“So I’ve been unemployed for the last 18 months, and I’ve spent that time volunteering for the ambulance service, collecting snakes. I handle callouts and try to make people happier about the snakes they have in their houses. 

The whole thing is excellent; we find, move, and release snakes. It’s a win-win situation – it’s so rewarding. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t pay.”

We asked him about the most rewarding aspects of his job. With a grin, a wink, and a strong Mancunian accent (Machester, UK), he replied: 

“Normally, it’s watching the local’s faces when a group of Thai men and a white guy get out of the vehicle. They’re quite shocked to see the English guy catching the snakes, not just the Thai guys! That’s probably the best part of the job.”

Snake Education With the Snake Guy in Phuket

Whatever your feelings about snakes, it’s worth having at least some rudimentary education if you’re visiting South East Asia. 

At Vinnie’s event, we learned about identification, behaviors, diet, bites, venom, anti-venom, and more. Looking at the bigger picture, we also gained an understanding of the need for proactive rescue, rehabilitation, and release of snakes in Phuket. 

If you’re looking for an educational experience in Phuket without the risk of animal exploitation, we highly recommend visiting an event hosted by the Snake Guy in Phuket. 

Vinnie’s events aren’t widely advertised on commercial platforms such as TripAdvisor – it’s a word-of-mouth kind of thing! To find out about his latest events, you can contact him on his Facebook page or at vincent@snakeguyinphuket.com. 

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