KUANTAN: When zookeeper Mohd Sabron Jamil Kamarudin was hospitalised after he was bitten by a king cobra in 2012, firemen Abu Zarin Hussin would visit him regularly to provide support.
Sadly, Abu Zarin, who gained fame for his breathtaking snake-catching skills, himself succumbed to a cobra bite he sustained on March 13 at the Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Hospital's (HOSHAS) Intensive Care Unit early today.
Sabron, who spent more than a month at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA) here and went under the knife seven times after the snake bite, said he was shocked with the news.
The 31-year-old Kuantan Municipal Council staff said he became close friends with Abu Zarin when he was warded at HTAA after he was bitten by a king cobra on March 1, 2012.
"I clearly remember our first meeting when he came to the ward in his fireman uniform....that marked the beginning of our friendship. Abu Zarin will regularly drop by to visit me and gave me the strength, and support I needed at the time.
"We started sharing stories and experiences in handling the reptile, and despite being an
expert in handling king cobras, Abu Zarin still consulted me on certain matters....he is well-
respected by many people," he said when contacted today.
Sabron, who works at Teruntum Zoo here, said upon learning about Abu Zarin's death about 2am today, he and a few friends rushed to HOSHAS in Temerloh to pay their last respects.
"Upon reaching HOSHAS, we were informed that the hearse carrying his remains had just left the hospital premises to Pasir Puteh, Kelantan.
“I managed to contact his family and we were allowed to pay our last respects when the
hearse stopped at the Temerloh toll plaza. I have lost a daring and genuine friend, who is one of a kind," said Sabron, who only relies on his right arm now.
In the March 1, 2012 incident, Sabron waited for four hours for the right anti-venom after
being bitten by a king cobra on his left wrist while cleaning the snake's cage.
Meanwhile, former Temerloh fire and rescue station volunteer fireman Mohd Ikhwan Hafizi Ali, 30, said he will not forget the times when Abu Zarin and him used to enter rubber estates to track down the cobras.
"It will sometimes take hours but Abu Zarin will remain patient. Although he was off-duty,
whenever a villager reports the presence of a reptile, the both of us will go and try to
catch the snake.
"There were times when we stepped on the snakes' nest when trying to catch the reptile at
plantations and at times we were almost bitten by the highly poisonous cobras," he said.
Temerloh forestry department officer Azqan Dalila Ahmad Tajudin, 32, said she became more confident in handling snakes including cobras after attending a course organised by Abu Zarin last year.
"He showed the proper techniques and equipments to handle the snakes. All the knowledge that he shared with me has been helpful since I often enter the jungle to carry out my duties and risk crossing paths with the reptiles," she said.
Abu Zarin, 33, who was in critical condition after being bitten by a cobra he was attempting to catch in Bentong, was later taken to HOSHAS. He died at 12.55am today.
He led the Fire and Rescue Department's King Cobra Squad which was established in 2015 to
help train firemen to catch venomous animals and often conducted training.
Reporting By Raja Norain Hidayah Raja Abdul Aziz, Mohd Rafi Mamat and Nazirul Roselan