Chef cooking snake dies after cobra bites him - 20 minutes after head was cut off

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...and it
was all captured on film. The extraordinary video footage shows how a
snake's head can writhe around long after it is removed from the
body...

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.7

"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