Nine-Year-Old Girl Is An Avid Snake Handler

Believe it or not, the little heroine in our video, Krista Guarino is only nine years of age and she already is proving to be an expert snake handler. While most typical girls at her age enjoy spending their time playing with dolls, our brave schoolgirl from Michigan is one of a kind. She prefers snakes and lives with a staggering 30 reptiles, including anacondas and a 12 foot python at her home.Show more

She eats, sleeps and plays with the creatures - some of which are twice her size. And she's even been bitten a few times but none of the snakes are venomous - and courageous Krista says it doesn't hurt.

Krista, the eldest of three children, was first introduced to the animals by dad Jamie, 33, who is a snake specialist. And she held her first snake when she was just two years old. The word ‘snake’ was among the first words she uttered and always used to point at whenever she saw one. A very good indicator for what was to come not much later in her life. She never shower fear of snakes, just on the contrary, her first instinct was to grab and play with them.

Despite her young age, she has developed quite a natural talent for snake handling. Krista even helps out in the reptile center where her father works and the feedback from the biologists there is that her knowledge surpasses what even they have come to learn through years of education and experience. Her love for these wonderful animals is so immense that she has already set her sights on opening her own reptile zoo when she's older. And she's determined to change perceptions about the misunderstood snake.

Videographer / Director: Laurentiu Garofeanu
Producer: Hannah Mouland
Editor: Ian Phillips