Coimbatore, Dec 10 : Most people have cats and dogs as pets, some prefer rabbits and guinea pigs, but a man from Tamil Nadu loves venomous snakes the most.

Murugan, who has now received the title of ''Snake Murugan'' from locals, considers playing with poisonous snakes his favourite pastime.

From the early age of eight, Murugan had a deep and abiding and affection for these reptiles and used to fondly play with them. Twenty-five years later, his love for snakes grew even more and he even took to catching snakes wherever he found them.

"In the past eight years, I have caught twenty-five thousand snakes, mostly king cobras, and all kinds of poisonous snakes. And I also help people by saving their lives in case of snakebites; even today I can catch a 10-feet-long poisonous cobra. Now I will leave these snakes in the forest. Though I like to tame them in my home, I am not doing that since it is against the law," said Murugan.

Murugan demonstrated how he catches snakes - by using a piece of a root which attracts snakes.

He has also been bitten several times. He says that to avoid the poison from spreading in his blood, he drinks a mixture of a unique root and water every time a snake bites him.

Murugan has also helped save lives of many people by administering quick treatment for snakebite.

He said that his ambition is to catch every poisonous snake which he hasn''t seen before in his life. (ANI)