A tourist looks at a snake at Monsters aquarium in Chonburi province, Thailand, Dec. 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)

 

A man from Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province who purchased what he believed was a "detoxified" snake has vowed to never raise one as a pet, after being bitten by a cobra he bought online and narrowly escaping death. As it turned out, the cobra seller, who assured him the "venom had already been removed" from the dangerous creature, had "sent out the wrong one."

The man, surnamed Liu, had bought a one-meter-long cobra online with the idea of raising it as a pet. The shop told him that the snake's venom gland had been properly disposed of before shipment.

However, while in bed with the cobra one day, he was bitten by the snake on his thigh. Thanks to prompt treatment at the hospital, Liu was able to survive the incident. 

The doctor who treated Liu warned him that a snake-bite could lead to amputation, and even death, according to a video posted online. 

After the incident happened, Liu confronted the shop over the "deadly" creature. To his surprise, the shop told him that it had made an honest mistake, and sent him the wrong venomous cobra.

Global Times