Suva, Fiji
Temp: 73 °F / 22.8 °C
Wind: 0.0 KMH
Partly Cloudy
OFFBEAT NEWS
July 07, 2009 09:52:26 AM

Snakes and the number 13 are not usually considered good luck charms, but Condi and her 12 serpent siblings have brought happiness to a couple in Lebanon.

Lebanese Pierre Rizk and his Sri Lankan wife Sapna have no children but are living happily with their 13 snakes in a two-room apartment east of Beirut.

The Rizks form a multicultural family -- their pets hail from India, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Arizona -- and have named one of their snakes 'Condoleezza' in a tribute to former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice.

"I really admire her for her leadership," Pierre Rizk told AFP in his small home, a yellow python slithering around his neck and chest.

"She has so much intelligence, responsibility, and energy -- just like the energy of snakes," he added.

The couple's 45-square-metre (484-square-feet) home, brightly decorated and with several religious symbols, has been converted into a haven where their pets roam free.

The two adopted their first snake on a trip to Sri Lanka, where Rizk said he felt an instant affinity for a local python.

"I am an avid advocate of the preservation of nature and animals," said the 35-year-old amateur musician. "My biggest python right now weighs 40 kilograms (88 pounds) and is four metres (13 feet) long."

* Get the latest and hottest Hollywood Gossip (Txt SUB HGS to 777) or Bollywood Gossip (Txt SUB BGS to 777) now.

Post a Comment
Bookmark and Share
Posted Comments
No comments, but you can post the first comment!
LOCAL
$7m damage to roads, jetties, seawallsAn estimated total of $7.6 million is the loss to infrastructure in Fiji’s northern and eastern divisions as a result of Cyclone Tomas.
SPORTS
Fiji's hopes lie in So Kon PoThe Fiji 7s team left for Hong Kong this morning knowing very well this will be the last chance they have in keeping their hopes of winning the 2009/10 World 7s Series alive.
BUSINESS
Steel price increase approvedSteel prices in Fiji have increased by up to eight percent following the Commerce Commission’s approval of a submission by Fletcher Pacific Steel.
WORLD
India embarrassed by adAn advert for a new luxury train service has embarrassed India's rail ministry by placing the country's capital, New Delhi, inside Pakistan.
ENTERTAINMENT
Weisz wins top actress gongOscar-winning actress Rachel Weisz scooped a top prize at Britain's Laurence Olivier theatre awards for her role in the classic play "A Streetcar Named Desire."
FIJIAN
Tekivu na vuli e na ciwaSa vakadeitaka na minisitiri ni vuli ni na tekivutaki tiko na vuli e na ciwa na kaloko na vei mataka, ka sega e na walu.