Morocco is a poor country, as the majority of african countries. However, Moroccans know how to entertain tourists, as they are one of the main income sources in the country. They enchant them, as they enchant snakes.

Musicians, water sellers, tea sellers, rhapsodies and storytellers catches the travelers attention as a way to earn money, while they walk through the markets. However, the most profitable one are the snake whisperer. These spectacles provides daily incomes for many moroccans families.

We can find them in any attractive place for tourism, from the fantastic Jamaa el Fna – Marrakech famous square – to the narrow streets of the souks of Tangier.

Music surrounds the scene, in which the whisperer dominate the ‘beast’ with a musical ‘spell’. Of course, it’s common that these poor snakes got hunted furtively, cut the tusks and extracted the venom glands, condemning many of them to infections and death.

Getting a photo in Morocco with a snake charmer and the snake on our shoulders has become a typical postcard. However, a responsible tourism laws oblige to keep in mind that this activity, so appreciated by visitors, is a way of animal cruelty.

Creative Commons or Public Domain Image: Flickr/fiat.luxury