Four months after a python bit a Chinese woman on her nose during a snake show, Phuket officials were faced with another snake slam after a video of a cobra leaping into a terrified audience went viral last week.
Santi Pawai, Director of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports Phuket office, has denied that the viral video of a cobra escaping a snake pit happened in Phuket after officials inspected eight registered snake shows on the island and found none that matched the description in the video.
“We believe this clip was taken somewhere else,” Santi said.
The footage, which was filmed by Russian tourist Dmitriy Bodnar, shows the audience enjoying the bizarre act at a venue reportedly in Phuket. During the clip, the snake leapt into the crowd, arching its neck at terrified crowd members.
“The show was very interesting. I sat quietly and watched until the snake almost bit spectators. I do not know whether it was part of the show, or something went out of control. But the fact is, I was frightened. Not only I was frightened, everyone was,” Bodnar told MailOnline.
When asked why officials did not inspect other snake shows in Phuket, or why no effort was made to contact the Russian tourist, Santi’s response was simply, “dunno.”
“I did not ask the person who posted the video because I do not know him,” he told The Phuket News.
Although officials failed to find the snake show where the incident occurred, all eight snake show operators were instructed to install fences to improve the safety of their shows.
If Santi was able to get this message to the show operators, we can only assume that he knows them.
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