Who was breeding cobras that escaped into China's floodwaters? See full details

More than 900 snakes, including venomous cobras, have escaped from a flooded breeding facility in China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region following Typhoon Maysak, which triggered catastrophic flooding across the region.

Three dangerous snake species, including Cobras, King rat snakes, and Water snakes, were bred by a commercial facility located in Yunbiao township. The farm operators stated that the snakes were being raised for legitimate commercial markets, including traditional Chinese medicine, meat production, and anti-venom production.

The shocking video captured and posted online depicts the snakes swimming through muddy floods and people trying to catch them using fishing nets. At least one resident has been admitted to the hospital following an attack by a cobra during the process of cleaning his house.

Capture squads have been sent out by the authorities, who are armed with stun guns and fishing equipment for capturing the escaped snakes. Wu Zhi has advised people not to try to catch snakes with bare hands.

The typhoon has taken six lives in Guangxi, with more than 50,000 people evacuated. There’s widespread destruction across southern China, with 62 rivers exceeding flood warning levels and the Qingshui River recording its worst flooding in history.

For public safety, Hengzhou’s emergency management bureau has increased anti-venom supplies and established fast-track treatment channels at local hospitals for snakebite victims as rescue operations continue.