“This is a very dangerous industry. I can get seriously injured or even die if I don’t take extra caution at all times. I have been bitten before by a snake, but it was nothing serious.
“Yes, I am putting my life at risk, but this is my passion,” said Mario Guterres, well-known as ‘The Beast Master’, who has been catching wild animals, particularly snakes for the past 43 years.
Guterres (58) is based at Rehoboth.
He catches snakes in towns and surrounding farms across the Hardap region.
Being born on 5 June, which is also World Environment Day (WED), an annual celebration encouraging awareness and action for the protection of the environment, Guterres is determined to help make the world a better place. He believes his life’s purpose is to safely remove and resettle snakes, he says.
Annually, he says he catches about 250 to 320 snakes.
“I am an environmentalist and this is a great way for me to protect and respect nature. I feel that is it my responsibility to help protect the environment and educate people on snakes. I want the people to know that I don’t kill snakes. I try to protect them.
Normally after I catch a snake, I place it in a safe surrounding, outside urban areas. I am doing this because I respect animals and the environment.”
Guterres says he became involved in this work due to public demand, and so far he has travelled to places like Australia, Asia and South America as an international volunteer. “I was working as a radio presenter at Rehoboth and through my programme, I educated the public about the environment and wild animals. I would urge the public to not kill any wild animals, but to call me instead to safely remove them. People started calling me and I would gladly go to help them, this is how it all started for me.”
Guterres says his interest in wildlife started when he was a child, and he caught his first snake at the age of seven.
“As a kid I lived in the bushes for a few months, as we fled from Angola. During these months, I was around a lot of wild animals, especially reptiles.”
Guterres aims to educate and train the public on how to treat and care for animals when they are injured in a fire.
For those interested in venturing into this field, Guterres advises care and caution when dealing with very dangerous species.
“Actually snakes are not dangerous. It is humans who make them dangerous, and this is how I see life. It is true that we as human beings sometimes make things dangerous,” Guterres says.
Rehoboth Block C resident Anna Louw says she once found a snake outside her house and called Guterres. When he arrived, he was polite and friendly, she says. “He caught the snake without killing it. I was amazed by this.
He told us that snakes must not be killed and that they also deserve to live. He also said that just like people, snakes also have a purpose on earth. During his short time with us, he educated us a little about snakes and how we can be safe.
“This is great information that helped to better our lives. We are thankful for him and have respect for what he does,” Louw says.
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