The snake is so deadly, say villagers, if you are bitten the furthest you will get is five steps
The snake is so deadly, say villagers, that if you are bitten the furthest you will get is five steps before dying.
Visiting China's 'snake village' of Zisiqiao
It is a sleepy village with a deadly secret. A couple of decades ago, locals in Zisiqiao made a living from farming and fishing.
But now they rear snakes - among them pythons, vipers and cobras. There are three million snakes in total - leaving the locals outnumbered by the serpents by a ratio of almost 3,000 to one.
Step into any of the more than 100 snake farms in the village and you will see the snakes slithering about in small wooden boxes piled on top of each other.
During the summer months, you can see concrete pits full of some of the most dangerous snakes in the world. One snake is particularly feared here - the so-called "five-step snake".
The snake is so deadly, say villagers, that if you are bitten the furthest you will get is five steps before dying.
People walk past a Chinese decorative drum with a paper-cutting of a snake ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations at
The reptiles are reared for their meat, which is sold to restaurants, and their body parts, which are highly sought after in traditional Chinese medicine.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-21332266
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