Up to 900 Snakes, Including Venomous Cobras, Escape After Flooding in China

Hundreds of snakes, including venomous cobras, have escaped from a breeding farm due to severe flooding in China, according to reports.

Videos have surfaced online showing the reptiles slithering through murky floodwaters in the southern village of Hengzhou, according to The Telegraph.

Up to 900 snakes escaped from a nearby breeding farm after flooding in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China washed the facility away, Wu Zhi, the head of a local village committee, told state-owned media Red Star News, per The Independent and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

Zhi said that most of the escaped reptiles are non-venomous water snakes and that a team of 10 people has been tasked with catching them using nets and stun guns. However, some of the escaped snakes are thought to be highly venomous cobras, according to The Independent and China Daily.

The snakes escaped on Monday, July 6, per Shanghai Daily, which also reported that one villager had been bitten and was hospitalized. The following day, 712 residents were evacuated after the Liulan and Yunbiao reservoirs started overflowing, according to China Daily.

Although videos of the incident have racked up thousands of views online, residents are being urged to report sightings rather than attempt to capture the reptiles themselves.

A local told the Associated Press: “It was terrifying. The flood destroyed the snake farm, and now the animals are everywhere, even in the water.”

One of the clips, published by CNN, showed a snake resting on top of a broomstick, while another appeared to show an escaped cobra poking its head above the floodwater.

Typhoon Maysak swept through the region over the weekend, putting pressure on rivers and dams. At least 17 people have died, and hundreds have been evacuated, according to the BBC and The Telegraph.

The South China Morning Post reported that a flood alert connected to the typhoon was upgraded to red, the highest out of four levels, at midnight on Monday, July 6.

Authorities told the outlet that 55 rivers were above the warning level. The country’s annual flooding season began in early July.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told state broadcaster CCTV: “All local governments should tighten accountability for disaster prevention and relief, thoroughly check rivers, lakes, reservoirs and other regions prone to geological disasters, strengthen early warning, prevention and relief work and ensure the safety of people’s lives and property.”

Source: People