Snake in a Mailbox: Chinese cobra found in apartment block in Kennedy Town

Screengrabs via Apple Daily video.
Screengrabs via Apple Daily video.

With the demise of snail mail, it’s rare for mailboxes to hold much excitement these days.

But every now and then you get a surprise, like a package or, less commonly, a poisonous snake.

Such was the case yesterday at the Sincere Western House apartment block in Kennedy Town, where residents got a bit of a shock when a poisonous cobra showed up in the lobby about 2:40am, then slithered away and hid.

Residents called the police, who later arrived at the scene to find the frightened snake had taken refuge inside one of the mailboxes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOroiVIsoxY

Officers enlisted the help of a local snake wrangler who — armed with nothing but a pair of latex gloves, a metal hook and a net — managed to coax the snake out after about five minutes.

The snake was later identified as a Chinese cobra, one of 14 venomous native land snakes species in Hong Kong, and one of eight that can inflict fatal bites if not treated in time, according to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD).

According to Apple Daily, the two feet-long cobra — about 60 centimeters — was taken away by the snake wrangler, but it’s not clear where to. Hopefully it hasn’t been turned into snake soup.

Want to know more about Hong Kong’s venomous snakes? Check out our illustrated guide.



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