Snake bites dog, capital rattled

Snake panic has hit the capital, after a man reported his pet dog was attacked by an alleged venomous serpent in Beijing Fenghuangling Nature Park, Haidian district, on Saturday.

It follows several reports of snakes being found in parts of the city, along with a number of mass "mercy releases" in rural areas.

While there is no indication that the dog-biting snake formed part of a mercy release, animal experts have cautioned that in general, snakes are shy creatures, and would not attack unless provoked.

The snake is still at large.

"After being injected with antivenin, Naonao's condition is stable. But he had an irregular heartbeat this morning, after a nurse inserted the drip wrongly at the animal hospital," said Wangsu Longkun, owner of the Tibetan Kyi Apso, named Naonao.　

Since the snake attack, Wangsu has spent more than 2,000 yuan ($314) on medical treatment, including tracking down an antivenin from the No. 1 Hospital affiliated to General Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, after the vet at the China Agricultural University Animal Hospital suggested his pet should be euthanized.　

Wangsu's father, who took Naonao to Fenghuangling, said that as he, his wife and the dog were going down a mountain, Naonao yelped and they saw blood on his mouth.

They saw a brown-patterned snake in the grass, with its tail upright and making a "swishing" sound. He guessed it was a rattlesnake.

Li Li, director with the Black Leopard Wildlife Conservation Station told the Beijing Evening News that rattlesnakes are not native to Beijing, and speculated that it was a mercy release.

Li said that one month ago, he received reports from residents, saying they had found a Burmese python in Baihujian, Changping district.

"These snakes from overseas are vulnerable to freezing winter weather, so mercy release is not that meaningful," he said.

Xie Haisheng, a vet from Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, said that there are no highly toxic snakes native to Beijing, and moved to reassure residents that snakes are not aggressive.

"Snakes don't attack unless disturbed, and if people are bitten, they should call for help at once," he said.

The media officer from the nature park said that they do not allow the release of dangerous animals in the park, but they have no control over areas bordering it.　

"Our staff patrol every day. If they find any snakes, poisonous or not, they catch them and hand them over to the epidemic prevention station in case they scare visitors," she said.

Reports of a possible poisonous snake in a park caused alarm online.　

A microblogger, named Jimu Zhixing, claimed he saw a 2-meter-long snake right in front of him in Badachu Park, Shijingshan district, a few days ago. He was terrified, he said, and urged other residents to be careful in parks.

People should stay calm if they see a snake, said Zhang Yong, captain of the Blue Sky Rescue Team.

"I often see snakes when I go to mountainous areas to aid hikers, but I've never been bitten," Zhang said.

There have been a number of mass mercy releases of snakes in Beijing's rural areas recently. Many die quickly after slithering onto a road, or are killed by angry and scared villagers.

A member of the Beijing Shijia Mercy Release Organization, surnamed He, said they only chose proper places to release snakes, "such as wild places where people will not go."

He did not deny the possibility that there could be poisonous snakes among those they release.

A snake as long as 2 meters was found in a residential community in Tongzhou district on Friday. On the afternoon of the same day, a 1-meter-long snake was found in the relief management center in Shijingshan district, the Legal Mirror reported.

Snakes found in urban areas are probably not from a mercy release, said Qin Xiaona, director of the NGO Capital Animal Welfare Association.

"They might be escaped pets, or just escaped during transportation from South China to Beijing's restaurants or drugstores," she said.

In addition, the massive construction projects in the city have caused loss of habitat for many animals, including snakes, Qin said.