Chinese property developer who freed snakes for good luck ends up in police cell
- Man causes panic in southwest China city after releasing 40kg of snakes on a hillside and into a river
- After 100 people take part in round-up operation, police say most of the serpents caught were young and non-venomous
A property developer from southwest China sparked panic on Friday after releasing dozens of snakes into a river and scores more onto a hillside as part of a good luck ritual.
The superstitious act backfired, however, when police in Jinghong, Yunnan province, detained the man, identified only by his surname Yue, pending a full investigation, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Monday.
According to a statement from the city government, Yue admitted releasing about 40kg (88lbs) of small snakes that he had earlier bought online from a vendor in Guangdong province for 5,000 yuan (US$745).
He was quoted as saying that he and a group of five well-wishers freed about a quarter of the serpents into the Lancang (Mekong) River before liberating the rest into the undergrowth. The statement did not give an exact location but locals were quoted as saying the hillside was used to grow rubber trees so there were lots of people working in the area.
After being alerted to the incident, more than 100 police officers, fishery department workers and members of the public spent the weekend trying to round up and identify the reptiles, the newspaper report said.
While the authorities had no information about what species they were looking for, officials were quoted as saying that all the snakes so far recovered were young and non-venomous.
