Chen Yuanhui, known as the "Snake Doctor", is 77 years old and has dedicated 37 years of his life to the study and protection of the Mangshan viper, a rare species he discovered. Originally from Guangdong province, in southern China, Yuanhui graduated from a medical college in Hunan province, in central China, at the age of 19 and worked at a research center dedicated to snake bites.
Despite the dangers of his vocation, Yuanhui was bitten nine times throughout his career and lost a finger due to snake venom. Still, he continues at the forefront of research and protection of this rare species.
The research center where he worked was closed in 1982, but Chen chose not to pursue a conventional medical career and remained dedicated to the study of snakes. He refused an offer of 150 thousand dollars and continued his field work in the Mangshan forest, becoming a reference in the preservation of this species.
