Dickson Kalu Katana

Dickson was born on a little island in front of the Kenyan coast where he grew up with pythons, speckled green snakes and monitor lizards at his doorstep. He is a professional snake handler with over 10 years experience and learnt his trade from his father who worked for a reptile park. From a young age onwards, Dickson joined his father to the snake park and learned all about Kenya’s incredible reptile world. He, later on, worked with snakes in captivity and rescued many snakes from houses. He went on many explorations with the legendary East African herpetologist Stephen Spawls and has seen more of Kenya’s wilderness than almost anyone. Dickson was excited to join Mirthe to set up a reptile conservation and research organisation in 2022. As Dickson has seen with his own eyes how snake numbers are decreasing, he is dedicated to protect them in their natural habitat. He is the organisation's researcher and snake handler on tours and he visits local schools to implement the snake education program. He is an incredible climber and spots snakes from unbelievable distances away.