The Snake Whisperer

Saintilus Resilus' day job this time of year is walking the streets of Haiti's capital with snakes on his head. He sees himself as something of a performance artist, showing off with snakes and other animals that Haitians don't see every day, earning tips from impromptu audiences during the pre-Lenten Carnival season. "Sometimes I put the head of a snake in my mouth," Resilus, 58, said while sitting in a plastic chair in his cinderblock box of a home. "It's not something anyone can do." He demonstrated by stuffing the tip of a four-foot Haitian boa in his mouth. The serpent's tail kicked and curled around Resilus' neck. Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery