Abdul Sattar Amin lives with more than 70 snakes in his home in the Dohuk governorate in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Snake skin is used in the production of traditional remedies, and he believes that snakes should be preserved rather than killed.
The 60-year-old Iraqi Kurdish man, with the help of his family, has been raising snakes for more than 3 decades, and says that some of them are poisonous.
Amin said that in the past, like other people, he kept pets such as cats and pigeons, but he noticed that all people refuse to deal with snakes and raise their children as an enemy, for this reason he raised snakes in his home for more than 30 years.
He added that there are currently about 76 snakes in his house, including the black snake and the Shehmar snake, which are non-venomous species.
Abd al-Sattar's snakes change their skin every year in the fall, especially in October and November. Amin collects it and compresses it into small capsules, in order to be used for treatment.
He says that snake skin capsules work as a natural remedy for hemorrhoids, colon problems and other stomach ailments, noting that he has been doing this since 2006.
Amin explained that his passion for snakes is not only to benefit from their skins for treatment only, but also for his respect for these reptiles, which he believes must be preserved, and adds that he usually saves snakes from killing in his area by taking them to his home.