Video shows fearless kids handle snakes

Bizarre footage has emerged of fearless children casually handling snakes, which have made their annual pilgrimage to Canada's Narcisse Snake Dens.

In the video shot by National Geographic, curious children as young as three appear unfazed by the reptiles as they move erratically around their feet.

Some youngsters even hold them up to their face as they pose for photos, while others stroke the wiggling creatures as they struggle to escape.

Manitoba Herpetocultural Society's Robert Vendramelli said the toothless red-sided garter snakes who frequented the dens of Manitoba were the "ambassadors" of the reptile world.

"A lot of children are a little more willing to hold the snakes and to interact with them," he said.

"Sometimes the adults are more apprehensive.

"I think it's a little odd … it's almost as if the fear of snakes has been built into people as they grow up."

Billed as the largest gathering of snakes anywhere in the world, every year thousands of snakes gather at the Canadian site making it a popular tourist attraction.

According to scientists, Manitoba's climate and geology make it the perfect place for the red-sided garter species to live and mate.

Source: National Geographic
Author: Chloe Ross, Approving editor: Simon Black