Fireman Phinyo Pukphinyo, 50, is the leading snake catcher in Thailand. The rescue worker has caught hundreds of thousands of reptiles during his career. He is called out every day to homes and shops or to catch snakes lurking in wasteland. The deadly profession - which once left Phinyo in hospital for three months from a cobra bite - has made him one of the world’s best snake catchers. Video shows Phinyo catching a cobra from a woman's home in Bangkok then back at the fire station showing how to escape from a python attack and how to catch king cobras. Phinyo said he receives up to 15 calls a day at the height of the rainy season when pythons are most visible in Bangkok. He has caught hundreds of thousands of reptiles in his career, which started when he became a fireman aged 18 in 1988. Pythons, which make up more than 75 per cent of the city’s snake population, have became the dominant species devouring frogs, rats, cats, birds and dogs. Due to vast urbanisation, they now mix with the human population with increasing frequency. ''Bangkok was built on a swamp,'' said Phinyo. ''The snakes were here first and they're not going away.'' Phinyo said residents are surprised when they see a giant snake. He added: ''Snakes are coming into contact with people more regularly, because more properties are being built in the city. There's a big food source now for the pythons and they are getting stronger.''