Befriend snakes.

Having been bitten by snakes dozens of times, sometimes suffering from drooping eyelids, distorted voice, and difficulty breathing, Pham Minh Hieu humorously remarked that he has spent his youth "living" with snakes and considers them his friends.

I spend more time in the forest than at home.

Amidst countless snake-hunting videos on social media, Pham Minh Hieu's YouTube channel, "Ambassador of the Green Forest," stands out with its opposite goal: exploring, conserving, and documenting snake species in their natural habitat. Currently, the channel has nearly 290,000 followers and 281 videos uploaded.

Pham Minh Hieu demonstrates the correct way to administer first aid for snake bites. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

The young man, born in 1992, originally from Thai Binh province but raised in Dak Lak , introduced his channel simply: “My channel isn’t about hunting wild animals. I created 'Ambassador of the Green Forest' to share my journey to high mountains and deep forests, filming wild animals, especially the beautiful snakes of Vietnam…” According to Hieu, snakes are often associated with a scary image, considered “villains” in nature. But for him, snakes play an important role in ecological balance. “Understanding and protecting snakes is preserving the balance of nature,” he said.

Hieu started raising snakes at the age of 16, initially out of curiosity. Later, his passion grew into a serious career path as he went into the forest to study the lives of snakes to aid in his breeding and to extract venom for the production of antivenom. To successfully raise snakes, he had to understand their habits, habitats, eating, sleeping, and hunting methods. From there, his trips to the forest became more frequent, spanning famous forests throughout Vietnam to Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia – mostly self-guided, sometimes hiring guides in challenging terrain like the Hoang Lien Son or Fansipan mountain ranges. "I probably spend half my time in the forest," Hieu said with a laugh.

Filming snakes in their natural habitat is a painstaking process. “The only way to film the life of snakes in the wild is through perseverance. Sometimes you have to follow a snake for several days, observing its entire cycle of movement – ​​hunting – digestion – resting – to capture a valuable moment,” Hieu recounted. He also shared that his next dream destinations are Borneo (Indonesia) – Southeast Asia’s reptile paradise – and the limestone mountains of the Truong Son range in Quang Binh province – home to some very rare snake species.

From tech enthusiasts to snake "doctors"

Pham Minh Hieu graduated with a degree in Information Technology from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education and worked in the signal transmission department of VTV Cab. After receiving an offer from an ecotourism company in Phan Thiet, Hieu worked there for two years, in charge of snake care, before moving to Dong Nai to seek permission from local authorities and forest rangers to build a snake farm.

I believe I have a unique mission. This job is very risky. Balancing the pros and cons, the gains and losses, is incredibly difficult. Only passion keeps me committed to this work.

Pham Minh Hieu, owner of the YouTube channel Messenger of the Green Forest

The farm, covering an area of ​​3,000 square ^meters , currently cares for about 500 snakes – mainly cobras, along with vipers and other similar species – with the sole purpose of extracting venom to supply units producing antivenom. “When the snakes get old or die from illness, I dispose of them rather than selling them as finished products or turning them into food. Because, for me, they have already fulfilled their mission,” Hieu shared. On average, he extracts venom once a month, following a strict procedure.

Hieu's journey from exploring to raising snakes has been fraught with danger. He's been bitten by snakes dozens of times in the wild, but the most memorable incident happened right at the snake farm when he was attacked by a cobra weighing over 3kg. He started experiencing drooping eyelids, a distorted voice, and difficulty breathing, but was fortunately given timely emergency treatment at Cho Ray Hospital. And quite remarkably, it was also from this snakebite emergency that he met the woman of his life, a female doctor from the Tropical Diseases and Toxicology Unit (Cho Ray Hospital). "This is the last time you'll be bitten and need treatment. Next time you get bitten, goodbye and victory!" Hieu laughed, recounting his wife's words after she cared for him.

With a deep understanding of snake behavior, Hieu regularly participates in conservation activities: rescuing snakes from people's homes and assisting in releasing snakes back into the wild. In 2020, he helped release a king cobra weighing 21kg – confiscated from a wildlife trafficking case – back into the forest. The video of the snake release subsequently attracted over 7.8 million views on YouTube. In addition, Hieu assists hospitals in identifying snakes – a crucial factor in helping doctors choose the correct antivenom. In many cases, there are only bite marks, unclear descriptions, or a few scales... Hieu considers these "puzzle-solving" tasks to identify the snake species in the shortest time possible, ensuring the correct antivenom is used and increasing treatment effectiveness.

VAN TUAN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/lam-ban-voi-ran-post799894.html