Up to 900 snakes, including some believed to be venomous cobras, escaped from a breeding farm in Hengzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, after Typhoon Maysak floodwaters tore through the facility on July 6, according to Chinese state media, including Global Times and CGTN.
The incident occurred after heavy rainfall breached the embankment of a local reservoir, triggering flooding in the surrounding village of Dengwei. The local city government told media that rescue workers have been dispatched to handle the situation.
Wu Zhi, head of the Dengwei Village Committee, told Red Star News that one villager had been bitten by a snake and was receiving emergency treatment at the hospital.
However, officials say the threat may be smaller than initially feared. Wu explained that most of the snakes have already been washed away by the floods, and at present only a small number remain on floating garbage and debris in stagnant floodwaters. Most of the snakes captured at the site so far have been non-venomous water snakes.
Residents from neighboring villages have organized a volunteer snake-catching team, using fishing tools and electric fishing equipment to help contain the situation.
Authorities have urged villagers without professional snake-catching skills not to attempt to capture snakes themselves, and to report sightings to the village committee instead.
The snake escape is a small part of a much larger disaster. Typhoon Maysak, the first typhoon of the year in China, has forced the evacuation of about 130,000 people and caused a reservoir dam breach in Guangxi’s capital, Nanning.
At least six people have died and eleven remain missing, according to Xinhua, with separate flooding in Hubei province killing 11 more.
Guangxi is one of the largest snake-breeding regions in the world, with Chinese cobras, king rat snakes and water snakes raised there for the pet, venom and meat trades.
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