COBRA HEAD BITES CHEF 20 MINUTES AFTER HE HAD CUT IT OFF - and kills him with venom while he was preparing the rest of the snake as a dish

Dying snake's final act of revenge came as Peng Fan threw its head away 

Its neurotoxic, flesh-eating venom killed the chef before help could arrive

All reptiles can function for up to an hour after having body parts removed

Cobras are a delicacy in China and believed to be good for your health

A chef preparing a dish made from cobra flesh died after the snake bit his hand - 20 minutes after he had severed it from its body. 

 

Peng Fan from Foshan, Guangdong province, southern China, had been preparing a special dish made from Indochinese spitting cobra, a rare delicacy.  It was as he went to chuck the cobra's head in the bin that it bit him, injecting Mr Peng with its flesh-killing, neurotoxic venom.

 

The snake was being diced up to be made into snake soup, which is a delicacy in Guangdong and a much sought after dish in the province's high-end restaurants.

 

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.  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.'

 

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.  '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.  It means snakes have the capability of biting and injecting venom even after the head has been severed.'

 

See video and pictures - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2732523/Chef-dies-spitting-cobra-cooking-bit-hand-20-minutes-cut-head-off.html

 

Photo - Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobra

 

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