Torrential rains bring devastating floods to a Chinese city – and a snake invasion
Snake Invasion Sweeps Through Flooded Chinese City
Torrential rains bring devastating floods – Residents of Hengzhou are facing an unusual nightmare as floodwaters recede, revealing hundreds of serpents navigating their submerged streets. The southern Chinese metropolis, home to approximately one million inhabitants, has become the stage for what locals describe as a living horror film scenario. Following the passage of Typhoon Maysak, which unleashed devastating rains across the region, roughly nine hundred snakes have emerged from their hiding places, with many carrying venomous fangs.
The catastrophic weather event has claimed thirty-nine lives so far, according to official state reports. Among the victims is a woman who succumbed after being bitten by what authorities believe was a cobra. This particular snake may have fled one of the numerous reptile farms that dot the landscape when rising waters breached containment areas. Several additional residents have reportedly suffered snakebites, though their conditions remain stable.
More Than Just Snakes Escaping
The flooding has triggered an exodus of various animals beyond the reptilian population. Guigang Zoo, a privately operated facility in the vicinity, experienced significant water damage that allowed multiple creatures to break free. According to an emergency bulletin released Wednesday evening, the zoo has lost track of two zebras, one humpback ox, three miniature horses, and two donkeys. Ostriches, emus, and raccoons also managed to escape their enclosures.
We could not allow predators to escape during the flood and create an additional public safety risk, stated zoo proprietor Yin Feifei in remarks to local media outlets.
The facility’s owner revealed that employees worked tirelessly to secure predator enclosures as water levels climbed. Tragically, three lions perished in the deluge. The zoo has urged citizens to report any sightings of the wandering animals, noting that frightened creatures may display aggressive behavior.
A City Known for Snakes and Jasmine
Hengzhou occupies a strategic position in southeastern Guangxi, situated on a broad central plain encircled by mountain ranges and crisscrossed by more than six hundred sixty rivers. The area has earned recognition as China’s premier jasmine production center, where the aromatic flower has been cultivated for half a millennium to create fragrant teas.
However, the region’s reputation extends beyond horticulture. Over recent decades, Hengzhou and the broader Guangxi territory have transformed into a major center for snake breeding operations. Official statistics indicate that by two thousand twenty, the province housed nearly twenty million snakes across fourteen thousand breeding facilities. While local traditions include consuming snake meat as a nourishing food source, contemporary operations primarily focus on pharmaceutical and biomedical applications.
The most frequently cultivated species in the area include cobras and common rat snakes. Though rat snakes pose no threat to humans, cobra venom can prove lethal, making the current situation particularly concerning for emergency responders.
Capturing the Escaped Reptiles
Local authorities have mobilized extensive resources to manage the situation. Mr. Zhu, representing a civilian snake-catching unit in Hengzhou, reported that his team of seven or eight members has been operating without interruption for forty-eight hours. They have successfully captured between two thousand and three thousand snakes, surpassing initial projections of the escaped population.
We caught two or three thousand in two days – we’ve basically cleared them all out, Zhu explained to Beijing News.
According to Zhu, snakes typically seek shelter in concealed locations such as house corners following heavy rainfall. Villagers alert the catching team when they spot wandering reptiles, and captured snakes are subsequently transferred to specialists for eventual release into natural habitats.
Meanwhile, agricultural losses continue to mount. Shangyou News reports that over sixteen thousand pigs have been swept away by floodwaters. Dramatic footage circulating online shows heavy equipment retrieving the animals from submerged fields, resembling an arcade claw machine in operation.
State media videos capture the chaotic efforts of residents attempting to secure the escaped snakes. One particularly vivid scene shows a man in a bright pink raincoat diving toward a swimming serpent while bystanders prepare nets. Screams of both alarm and excitement echo through the footage as people work together to contain the slippery intruders. Authorities continue to emphasize that snakebites can prove fatal, and some villagers admitted they struggled to locate medical assistance for the bitten woman before it was too late, as floodwaters had severed transportation routes.
