As soon as the snakes arrive in the shop they have their fangs removed with a pair of pliers. This is meant to render the snakes harmless although lost fangs can be replaced and perhaps just a scratch from other teeth in the mouth could be enough to break the skin and expose it to any venom. The snake in this picture is a Chinese Cobra. It already had its fangs removed; he was just demonstrating how it was done. He also boasted (through a translater) that it was a very quick process and that he could "do" 10 snakes in 5 minutes. This man had worked in the shop for 60 years (he is 78 now) and has apparently never received a bite requiring any treatment.......or so the translater said!