Crocodile trainers Samrit Maiboran, left, and Akraphol Wannawate during the final act of the crocodile show at the Samphran Elephant Ground and Zoo. Photos by Jetjaras Na Ranong
By Terry Fredrickson
Akraphol Wannawate and Samrit Maiboran are still alive and healthy but you have to wonder what they dream about at night.
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Danger is their job
Samrit’s most difficult act—putting his hand down a crocodile’s throat
Akraphol Wannawate and Samrit Maiboran are still alive and healthy but you have to wonder what they dream about at night.
The two crocodile trainers at the Samphran Elephant Ground & Zoo located in Sam Phran district of Nakhon Pathom province have what must be one of the world's most dangerous jobs.
It involves performing more than two dozen shows each week, putting their their heads into a crocodile's mouth, their hands down its throat and then even lying on its back.
Akraphol's job for the past seven years is so perilous that every morning his wife never forgets to warn him to be extremely careful so that he can return home in one piece
Akraphol's parents became even more concerned about their son's adventurous job after they heard the headline news – played up by some in the media – regarding a crocodile trainer's head being bitten at the Samut Prakarn Crocodile Farm & Zoo during a show. (See here: http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/361318/crocodile-bites-head-during-stunt) Although the man survived the accident, needing stitches and medical treatment the sensational nature of the news has raised numerous questions about how safe being a crocodile trainer really is.
Akraphol admitted that at first he was afraid of getting hurt, but the more he plays with the animals, the more connected he feels to them.
The job of a Bangkok Post photographer has its dangers as well.
"It first took me more than 10 days to get myself familiar with crocodiles," he recalled. "And when I knew them and they knew me, we could start training for the show."
Akraphol's co-worker Samrit Maiboran has been a crocodile tamer since he was 15. Prior to this, the now 29-year-old was working as a sword-fighting stuntman at the zoo. When there was a vacant position as a crocodile trainer, the adventure lover decided to give it a try.
''It is a job only daring people can do,'' he said. ''And you really have no idea when you will be attacked by the crocodiles. The important thing is you need to make the animals feel familiar with you and with the acts before you put them out for shows. Otherwise, you will only get hurt.''
Crocodiles used for the show are freshwater males aged more than 15 years old. Females are not usually trained for the performance as they are only kept for mating.
Both crocodile coaches agreed that the most challenging part of their job is during the training. The show itself might look reckless – full of dangers as well as possibilities for errors and mistakes. But if the crocodiles are trained well and trainers make sure they are ready for the show, chances of there being an accident are very low.
Adapted from a story in today's Bangkok Post by Arusa Pisuthipan.
You can read the full story here: http://www.bangkokpost.com/lifestyle/interview/366389/snap-happy
Vocabulary
act: one of the main divisions of a play, an opera, etc - ฉาก
admit: to agree that something is true, especially when you are unhappy, sorry or surprised about it - ยอมรับ
adventurous: willing to try new or difficult things, or exciting an often dangerous - ชอบผจญภัย
alive: living; not dead - มีชีวิตอยู่
challenging: difficult, in a way that tests your ability or determination - ที่ท้าทายความสามารถ
co-worker: a person that somebody works with, doing the same kind of job - ผู้ร่วมงาน
concerned: worried about something - มีความกังวล
dangerous: likely to injure or harm somebody, or to damage or destroy something - อันตราย
daring: very brave; showing courage and determination - กล้าหาญ
extremely: very; to a very high degree อย่างสุดขีด, อย่างมาก, อย่างยิ่ง - อย่างสุดขีด, อย่างมาก, อย่างยิ่ง
familiar: well known to you, or easily recognised by you - คุ้นเคย
female: of the sex that can lay eggs or give birth to babies, being a woman or a girl - ตัวเมีย, เพศหญิง, ผู้หญิง
freshwater: water that is not the sea and is not salty - น้ำจืด
headline: the title of a newspaper story that is printed in large letters - ข่าวพาดหัว
in one piece: healthy; without injury; whole - โดยไม่ได้รับบาดเจ็บ
involve: to be an important or necessary part or result of something - เกี่ยวพัน, พัวพัน
located: where something is - ตั้งอยู่
male: belonging to the sex that does not give birth to babies - เพศชาย, เพศผู้, ผู้ชาย
mate: to have sex in order to produce young - ผสมพันธุ์
media: radio, television, newspaper, the Internet, considered as a group - สื่อ
nature: the basic quality of something - ธรรมชาติของสิ่งต่างๆ
numerous: many - มากมาย
otherwise: if not; used for saying that if one thing does not happen or is not true, something else will happen, usually something bad - มิฉะนั้น, ไม่เช่นนั้น
perform: to put on a show for people, e.g., singing, playing a sport, etc - แสดง
perilous: very dangerous - เต็มไปด้วยอันตราย, ซึ่งไม่น่าปลอดภัย
play up: to emphasise the importance of something - เน้น
position: a job - ตำแหน่ง
prior: before - ก่อนหน้า
raise: to bring up a subject for discussion - ยกขึ้นมาเป็นประเด็น
reckless: not thinking about the possible bad effects of your actions - สะเพร่า
sensational: causing great surprise, excitement, or interest - น่าดึงดูดใจ, น่าเร้าใจ, น่าตื่นเต้น
stitch: a short piece of thread, etc. that doctors use to sew the edges of a wound together - รอยเย็บ
stuntman: a person whose job is to do dangerous things in place of an actor in a film/movie, etc; a person who does dangerous things in order to entertain people - ผู้แสดงแทนในฉากเสี่ยงอันตราย
survive: to stay alive after a difficult or dangerous situation - มีชีวิตรอด
sword: a weapon with a short handle and a long sharp blade - ดาบ
tamer: a person who trains wild animals - คนที่ฝึกสัตว์ป่า
throat: the area at the back of your mouth and inside your neck - ช่องคอ
treatment: the process of providing medical care - การรักษา
vacant: empty - ว่าง
warn: to make someone aware of a possible problem or danger - เตือน
wonder: to think about something because you want to know more facts or details about it - สงสัย
