Actor Dwan Shares Room With Three Pythons

By Muhammad Faiz Baharin KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1 (Bernama) -- New actor, Dwan or his real name Muhammad Ridzwan Shahrul Hamid, 25, has made his three pythons as 'roommates' in his home at Taman Pokok Asam, Taiping in the northern state of Perak. Besides the pythons, the actor of the drama 'Tanah Kubur' and film 'Dollah Superstar' also owns two cobras and three king cobras kept at the home of his master, Amjad Khan who is the son of 'Raja Ular Malaysia' (Malaysian King of Snakes), the late Ali Khan Samsuddin. He said although he had been injured on the hand and needed five stitches after being bitten by a python weighing 12 kilograms and measuring 10 metres long when hunting for the snakes in the jungle in 2010, the incident did not deter him from keeping the cold-blooded reptile. "Many people think that keeping snakes is illogical, but the fact is that the reptiles are easily tamed and are loving creatures that need the minimum of care," he told Bernama here recently. Dwan did not deny that in handling his pet snakes, he must be careful to avoid from being injured. "In order to avoid the snake from feeling threatened when handling the poisonous species, I must hold and caress the pet in a proper manner and always be careful so as not to step on the reptile when it creeps on the floor," he said. He said the interest and hobby which he considered as dangerous had now become a source of additional income when he received invitations to stage performances throughout the country. Dwan said before staging performances with his snakes, he would seek the approval of the relevant authorities beforehand. "Many friends have said that I would one day die from being bitten by the snakes due to this hobby, but to me all these are fated by Allah," said the snake charmer who plans to tour the whole country this year to demonstrate his skill. -- BERNAMA