Hong Kong —
It sounds like a script for a low-budget horror movie. A community besieged by hundreds of snakes. But in Hengzhou, a city in southern China with a population of about 1 million people, flooding is bringing that horrifying reality to life.
State media said about 900 snakes, many of them venomous, were on the loose after Typhoon Maysak hit the region and caused flooding, killing 39 people so far.
One woman died after being bitten by a snake, possibly a cobra, that appeared to have escaped from one of the flooded reptile farms, but state media reported that at least several other people were also bitten.
Nightmarish videos posted by worried residents show the snake paddling through the streets, its head comfortably raised above the floodwaters like a venomous periscope.
Chinese authorities initially downplayed the threat, but are now warning villagers to stay away from the slimy newcomers as they mobilize snake catchers, increase stocks of anti-venom and prepare hospital staff for a possible influx of snakebite cases.
Snakes aren’t the only animals left in the wild. Two zebras, a humpback whale, three miniature horses and two donkeys also escaped when the area’s zoo was flooded.
The privately owned Guigang Zoo issued an emergency notice on Wednesday night, warning the public that some of the escaped animals, including ostriches, emus and raccoons, can become aggressive if scared, and asking for any sightings of the animals.
In an interview with local media outlet Hongxing News, zoo owner Ying Feifei said staff members risked their lives to close the predator cages as flood waters rose. Three lions drowned.
“We cannot afford to allow predators to escape during floods and pose additional public safety risks,” he said.
According to local Chinese media outlet Shanghai Shimbun, more than 16,000 pigs were also washed away in the floods. Heavy equipment, like an arcade crane machine, was used to pull the pigs out of the floodwaters, as seen in videos posted online.
Area famous for jasmine and snakes
Hengzhou is located in the southeastern part of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on a relatively flat central plain surrounded by mountains and more than 660 rivers.
This city is best known as the “Jasmine Capital” of China. This is where the fragrant flowers used to make tea have been cultivated for 500 years.
But tea is not the only thing this region is famous for. In recent decades, Hengzhou, along with the entire Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has become a center for snake breeding.
More than 100 species of snakes have been recorded in this region, which borders Vietnam and is home to a variety of ethnic minorities. Local people consider snake meat to be a nutritious meal, and there is a long tradition of catching snakes for food.
According to a report by Guangxi Daily, a government-affiliated media outlet, by 2020, Guangxi had about 20 million snakes and more than 14,000 breeding grounds.
Most people now breed snakes for pharmaceutical and biomedical uses.
The most commonly kept snakes in this area are cobras and common rat snakes. Common rat snakes are nonvenomous, but a cobra bite can be fatal.
However, this industry, which was once an important industry for Hengzhou city, is now causing serious problems for the local government.
Zhu, a member of a civilian snake-catching team in Hengzhou, told state-run Beijing News that a team of seven or eight people worked continuously for two days and captured a total of 2,000 to 3,000 animals, mainly rat snakes. This number would be even higher than previous estimates of escaped animals.
Zhu explained that after a flood, snakes often take shelter in hidden places such as corners of houses. Villagers alerted the team as soon as they spotted the snakes, and the captured snakes were handed over to experts to be released back into the wild.
“We caught 2-3,000 in two days. We basically exterminated them all,” he told Beijing News.
Video posted by state media shows a man chasing the snake as it swims through floodwaters while others prepare to attack it with nets. Eventually, a man wearing a bright pink raincoat tries to jump into the snake, but before he can, another man snatches it from the water.
In the video, you can hear screams and excited laughter from people trying to catch the reptile. However, authorities warn that snake bites can be fatal.
Villagers told Beijing News that they were unable to find help for the bitten woman until it was too late. Roads were cut off by floods and poisons were spreading, making it difficult to get anywhere quickly.
“We called for help, but it was too late,” one villager told state media.
The local government on Wednesday advised residents to avoid outdoor activities at night and stay away from grass and ponds that may be infested with snakes seeking food and shelter from flooding.
“Most snakes prefer cool, moist environments and do not usually attack humans for no reason,” said the report, published by state news agency Xinhua.
“Snakes are also repelled by substances with pungent odors. Sprinkling snake repellent powder at the entrance to your home will keep snakes away.
“If you are outdoors, you should avoid areas where snakes are known to be present or use a stick to strike the undergrowth to scare off nearby snakes,” the report added.
According to Xinhua News Agency, local hospitals said they have enough anti-venom serum in stock to deal with the crisis, as long as snakebite victims receive it in time.
As the waters recede, it’s unclear how long the hundreds of snakes will remain a threat, and whether enough will be captured in that time to reduce the risk.
