9-Year-Old Snake Handler Krista Guarino

KRISTA: I'm never afraid of snakes, not evena little bit. I'm crazy for snakes. LAURA: I really don't like them at all. they,they kinda freak me out. COMM: Most nine year old girls enjoy playingwith dolls. But Kirsta Guarino from Michigan is one of a kind. She prefers snakes, andlives with thirty of them. JAMIE: It's just an anaconda, c'mon, it'sharmless. KRISTA: Ow!MAN: How do you feel?KRISTA: Um. . . excited. 00:32 COMM: Krista gets her love of snakes fromdad Jamie, and held her first when she was just two years old. 00:38 JAMIE: It was her third word y'know snake,she would always point and just say snake! And i just knew right then and there she wasgonna be, y'know this was gonna be her passion. I could just tell. COMM: Since then she's developed a naturaltalent for snake handling. Some are twice her size and known to bite. COMM: But it hasn't put her off, even whenshe was out hunting for rattlesnakes. 01:08 JAMIE: Oh it's a rattle!KRISTA: Oh cool! JAMIE: All right we're gonna release themfar away from people. JAMIE: He loves you. COMM: Mum Ashli isn't a big fan of snakes. JAMIE: Hold him! C'mon!ASHLI: No! You guys do what you want but Ithink you're crazy. COMM: And grandmother Laura isn't happy withKrista's hobby. LAURA: It bothers me a lot, to me I'm afraidshe's going to get bit, hurt, who knows strangled. It really upsets me, a lot. JAMIE: I've had some specific negative commentstowards Krista and snakes, y'know "You shouldn't let your daughter be around those evil serpents,she could get killed and strangled" and y'know some ridiculous comments and I just have tocome back with y'know you're not educated at all, she's never put in danger so y'knowI kinda get mad but I laugh at them. COMM: Today Krista dedicates most of her freetime to her favourite animal. JAMIE: You ready to feed all these?Krista: Yep. COMM: And she even helps out at the reptilecentre where Jamie works. JAMIE: Hey Krista how's it going over here?KRISTA: I only got one more left. JAMIE: One left? All right feed them up because it's time to feed some alligators. KRISTA: Cool. BRIGAN: Even though Krista is very young Ithink she probably knows more about snakes than I do. Her knowledge is insane, she'sso smart. COMM: Despite her young years Krista alreadyhas her future planned out as the owner of a reptile zoo. KRISTA: I wanna teach people about reptiles,I wanna have every kind of reptile in the world. COMM: And she's determined to prove that snakesaren't as bas as we think. KRISTA: Some people, they're afraid of themand they like kill 'em, and I don't want no-one to kill snakes because they're cool and interesting.