A Palestinian father collects local serpents

RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories - A lot of fathers would prefer their 2-year-old daughters not to ride a giant Burmese python down the street like a pony - but not Jamal Amwasi of Ramallah.

The 35-year-old Palestinian civil servant is the proud owner of more than a dozen snakes, including several large pythons, all of which live in a shed a few meters from his home in the occupied West Bank.