Around 800 to 900 snakes, including venomous cobras, escaped from a farm in a village in Hengzhou, South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region after it was damaged by flooding.
Some residents have suffered snakebites, local media reported.
The local city government told media that rescue workers have been dispatched to handle the situation.
Affected by Typhoon Maysak, Guangxi has experienced continuous heavy rainfall, with several reservoirs in Hengzhou, Nanning, facing emergency situations.
On Tuesday, July 7, some netizens posted screenshots and video clips claiming that a snake farm in Dengwei village in Hengzhou city was destroyed by floods, resulting in the escape of a large number of snakes. The posts warned nearby residents to take precautions.
Other netizens commented that some trapped villagers had been bitten by snakes and were facing shortages of medical supplies and treatment, according to CCTV.com.
“It [the escape] happened on the morning of July 6. According to our preliminary estimate, around 800 to 900 snakes escaped after the farm was washed away by floodwaters. So far, one villager has been bitten by a snake and is receiving emergency treatment at a hospital,” Wu Zhi, head of the Dengwei village committee in Yunbiao township, Hengzhou, told Red Star News on Tuesday afternoon, July 7.
Wu said that not all of the escaped snakes were venomous, adding that a large proportion of them were non-venomous water snakes.
A local resident surnamed Shen from Yunbiao township told CCTV.com that snake farms are located in both low-lying areas and on hillsides across the township.
Due to the breaches at Liulan Reservoir and Yunbiao Reservoir, low-lying areas were inundated, and snakes from some small-scale farms have escaped into surrounding areas.
Shen said some trapped villagers had indeed been bitten by snakes, but they were unable to seek medical treatment in time because they remained stranded.
A local snake farmer surnamed Lei told CCTV.com that his snake farm is located on a higher ground and has not been affected by the flooding so far.
Lei estimated that snakes from scattered small-scale farms in low-lying areas may have escaped in large numbers, but added that most farmed snakes in the area live in mountainous forests and are likely to di£ after being submerged in water for an extended period.
An employee from Hengzhou Emergency Management Bureau told the Global Times on Tuesday afternoon that they were aware of reports that a snake farm had been destroyed and villagers had suffered snake bites, and had notified the frontline workers.
Rescue personnel had been dispatched to handle the situation, but no further updates had been received. The employee said more details would be released in an official announcement.
Wu Zhi from Dengwei village said that after the incident, more than a dozen residents from nearby villages that were not affected by the disaster voluntarily formed a civilian snake-catching team. They entered affected areas and went house to house to capture snakes in an effort to prevent further snakebite incidents.
“Team members mainly use fishing tools and electric fishing equipment to catch the snakes,” Wu Zhi added. “Most of the snakes have already been washed away by the floods. At present, only a small number remain on floating garbage and debris on stagnant floodwaters. Most of the snakes captured at the site have been non-venomous water snakes.”
Wu said they have already issued notices urging villagers without professional snake-catching skills not to attempt to capture snakes themselves.
Wu added: “If residents find snakes in their homes, they should immediately report it to the village committee and have professional personnel handle the situation.”
See video below.
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