World of the Bizarre

Chef killed by cobra as he tried to cook it

By T.K. Randall
August 24, 2014

Image: Murray Darling Carpet Python
Credit: Scarlet23 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (adapted) The Indochinese spitting cobra had been killed beforehand so that it was ready to be used in the meal, but when chef Peng Fan went to prepare the snake for use in the dish he received a deadly bite from the deceased reptile's head as he was throwing it in the bin.

Unfortunately the venom, which was some of the deadliest in the animal kingdom, acted too quickly and Fan died before he could receive the treatment he needed in hospital."It is a highly unusual case, but it appears to be just an accident," said a police spokesman. "He prepared the snake himself and was just unlucky. There was nothing that could be done to save the man. It was just a tragic accident."

Snake expert Yang Hong-Chang maintains that the reptiles can still bite and inject venom in to a victim even after the head of the animal has been separated from its body.

"It is perfectly possible that the head remained alive and bit Peng's hand," he said. "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."

Source: Yahoo! News

Tags: Cobra, Chef