Folk in Asian countries rarely kill living creatures for fun, its more when they pose a direct threat to the persons continued existence, or the creature can be eaten.
They do appreciate the beauty of creatures such as snakes from a safe distance!) the UK has only one mildly venomous snake species and live snakes rarely venture outdoors except in high summer, whereas there are 163 species in Malaysia and similar numbers in surrounding nations. Across Asia they kill a lot of people and make others very ill, although in richer nations like MY there is better education.
This chap had also been told by the local snake charmer to bite the snake to avoid being poisoned and that was the best healthcare advice he had. in somewhere like Nepal (especially in rural areas) they can’t easily call NHS direct or their health services equivalent and he actually had to be convinced to attend hospital by his relatives and the cops.
Even here you are advised to call nines if bit by any snake (bear in mind escapees from private collections may be venomous foreign species).
Bites, snake – Treatment – NHS Choices
