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 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 Professor 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 know that if one has sufficient knowledge of reptiles, there is no problem dealing with them."

The Star/

Asia News Network

Malaysia