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THE STAR (Petaling Jaya, Malaysia) 19 March 06 Ex-snake farm worker kisses cobra 51 times (Aruna Ching Chze And Tho Xin Yi)
Genting Highlands: The first few kisses seemed easy enough.
Then the King Cobra looked agitated. This was when Shahimi Abdul Hamid showed deft agility by moving swiftly to avoid being bitten.
On the 39th count, Shahimi performed a long kiss. After the 51st kiss, he received a thunderous applause from the audience at First World Hotel at Genting Highlands yesterday.
Shahimi's feat in kissing the 4.6m long and 10kg cobra 51 times in three minutes and one second was a world record waiting to be verified.
Records showed that Gordon Cates from Florida kissed 11 cobras without a time limit in September 1999.
Cates used an iron bar to protect himself while Shahimi had only his two bare hands.
Universiti Malaya Department of Medicine Prof Dr Iekhsam Othman later verified that the cobra was venomous.
Shahimi, 33, was presented with a certificate endorsing his record-breaking attempt by the Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai.
Asked why he did such a dangerous thing, the former snake farm supervisor said:
“Malaysians should know that if one has sufficient knowledge of reptiles, there would be no problem in dealing with them.”
http://www.mg.co.za/articledirect.aspx?area=&articleid=267104

MAIL & GUARDIAN (Johannesburg, S Africa) 19 March 06 Malaysian makes hissstory with snake-kissing feat
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AFP): A former Malaysian snake farm worker may have set a new world record after kissing a poisonous snake 51 times in three minutes, a report said on Sunday.
Shahimi Abdul Hamid's feat in kissing the 4,6m-long King Cobra weighing 10kg 51 times in three minutes and one second was a record waiting to be verified, the Sunday Star newspaper said.
Records showed that Gordon Cates from Florida, the United States kissed 11 cobras without a time limit in September 1999.
Cates had used an iron bar to protect himself while Shahimi used only his bare hands.
Asked why he did such a dangerous act on Saturday, Shahimi said: "Malaysians should know that if one has sufficient knowledge of reptiles, there would be no problem in dealing with them."
http://www.mg.co.za/articledirect.aspx?area=&articleid=267104

This story made mention of Gordon Cates. Does he post on this forum? I visited his home a couple of times in the mid-90's, and even bought and traded a few snakes with him. I wouldn't expect him to remember me, but I certainly remember his enormous collection, including the huge retic and king cobra he had. I didn't know he held the record for cobra kissing until this guy broke it. Is he still in Alachua?

RP

This story made mention of Gordon Cates. Does he post on this forum? I visited his home a couple of times in the mid-90's, and even bought and traded a few snakes with him. I wouldn't expect him to remember me, but I certainly remember his enormous collection, including the huge retic and king cobra he had. I didn't know he held the record for cobra kissing until this guy broke it. Is he still in Alachua?

RP