[This post contains content which may be upsetting to some readers]

A chef in Foshan, Guangdong has been killed by the Thailand king cobra he was preparing for a meal when it bit him long after its head was cut off, reports China Daily. Some reports say the head had been severed for 10 minutes when the bite occurred, with other reports saying 20 minutes had passed.

The victim has been identified as Peng Fan from Shunde. He was working in an unidentified restaurant that serves poisonous snakes to customers. Peng was throwing out the decapitated snake head when he was bit.

“It is a highly unusual case but it appears to be just an accident,” a police spokesman said. “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.”

One news report used the incident to look more closely at the dangers posed by severed snake heads. It shows how snakes continue to move after having their heads separated from their body. This video goes to a a snake farm where several snakes have their heads cut off:

Earlier this month, an online community was outraged because they suspected a Shenzhen woman released live poisonous snakes into a local park.

Southern China is home to 35 types of snakes that are venomous. These include the Chinese cobra, the king cobra, Fea’s viper, and Russell’s viper.

Photo: Daily Mail