How this happened is beyond me. A snake
that already had its head chopped off, bites
the chef trying to cook it and kills him. Full
report below...
A chef preparing a dish from cobra flesh
died when the snake's head bit him - 20
minutes after it was cut off.
Victim Peng Fan had been preparing a
special dish made from the Indochinese
spitting cobra, a rare delicacy in Asia
where eating snakes is commonplace.
But when he went to throw the serpent's
severed head into the waste bin, it bit
him - injecting him with its fast acting
venom.
Police say Mr Peng died before he could
be given life saving anti-venom in
hospital.
Diners who were eating in the restaurant
at the time have described screams
coming from the kitchen as the tragedy
unfolded.
Restaurant guest Lin Sun, 44, who was in
the restaurant with his wife Su at the
time said: "We were in the restaurant
having a meal for my wife's birthday
when suddenly there was a lot of
commotion.
"We did not know what was happening
but could hear screams coming from the
kitchen.
"There were calls for a doctor in the
restaurant but unfortunately by the time
medical assistance arrived the man had
already died. After we heard that we did
not continue with our meal."
A police spokesman said: "It is a highly
unusual case but it appears to be just an
accident. He prepared the snake himself
and was just unlucky.
"There was nothing that could be done
to save the man. Only the anti-venom
could have helped but this was not given
in time. It was just a tragic accident."
The snake was being diced up to be made
into snake soup, which is a delicacy in
the area and a much sought after dish in
high-end restaurants. China has seen a
rising demand for snake products, not
only in restaurants but also for use in
traditional medicine.
Snake expert Yang Hong-Chang - who
has spent 40 years studying cobras -
says all reptiles can function for up to
an hour after losing body parts, or even
their entire body.
Mr Yang said: "It is perfectly possible
that the head remained alive and bit
Peng's hand. By the time a snake has
lost its head, it’s effectively dead as
basic body functions have ceased, but
there is still some reflexive action.
"It means snakes have the capability of
biting and injecting venom even after
the head has been severed."
Source uk mirror
