DISGUSTING BUT INTERESTING: Meet 9-yr-old girl talented in snake handling, lives with anacondas and python(Photos & Video)

Krista Guarino is only nine years old yet has already proved she is an expert snake handler.

The brave schoolgirl lives with a staggering 30 reptiles, including anacondas and a 12ft python at her home in Warren, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan.

She eats, sleeps and plays with the creatures – some of which are twice her size.

And she’s even been bitten a few times but none of the snakes are venomous – and courageous Krista says it doesn’t hurt.

She said: ‘I’m never afraid of snakes, not even a little bit. I’m crazy for them.’

Krista, the eldest of three children, was first introduced to the animals by father Jamie, 33, who is a snake specialist. And she held her first when she was just two years old.

Mr Guarino said: ‘Snake was one of her first ever words. I knew when she was very little that they were going to be her passion.

‘From an early age she wasn’t like a normal kid – she wasn’t afraid of snakes at all. She just wants to go up and grab them and pet them and play with them.’

During the summer holidays Krista helps her father out at their local reptile house. And isn’t afraid to play, train and handle any snake. She even helps to feed the alligators.

The father and daughter also enjoy weekends searching for rattlesnakes, some of the most dangerous snakes in the world.

The pair upload videos all their adventures to their YouTube channel SnakeHuntersTV.

Mr Guarino said: ‘Krista would rather play with the snakes than her friends at school.’

But not everyone is as comfortable around the animals as Krista.

Mother Ashli, 28, admits she hated snakes before she met Jamie but has gradually become used to having them in the house.

And Mr Guarino’s mother, Laura, 55, says she hasn’t always been comfortable with her granddaughter playing with snakes.

She said: ‘I don’t like snakes at all and it really bothers me when I see Krista handling them. ‘

But Mr Guarino insists his daughter has never been in any danger.

He said: ‘I’ve had some negative comments from people saying that snakes are evil and I shouldn’t let my daughter be around them because she could be killed.

‘These people are really ignorant about snakes. My daughter is never in any danger. This is what Krista loves and I don’t want to deprive her of that.

‘She is really smart and knows which snakes are safe and which aren’t. She really understands them and handles them like a responsible adult would. I don’t worry about her at all.

‘It’s fascinating to watch her with them – she’s so comfortable with them. I sometimes can ‘t believe that my young daughter is so incredible with the animals.’

He added: ‘Unfortunately snakes have a very bad reputation and I’m trying to get it across to people that they’re not as bad as they’re made out to be. They’re not monsters.’

Krista has already set her sights on opening her own reptile zoo when she’s older. And she’s determined to change perceptions about the misunderstood snake.

She added: ‘Some people are afraid of snakes and they want to kill them but I think they’re really cool and interesting. One day I want to own every kind of reptile in the world.’WATCH VIDEO HERE