Release of venomous snakes sparks online outrage

A woman opens a bag of snakes in areas surrounded by bamboo. [Photo: Sina Weibo]

(ECNS) -- Several photos online of venomous snakes being released in south China's Guangdong province have aroused a flood of criticism, the Southern Metropolitan Daily reports.

Nine photos were posted on Sina Weibo, one of which showed a "good-looking" woman opening a bag of snakes in areas surrounded by bamboo.

The post praised the woman for having the courage to "release all venomous snakes," including cobras and Chinese moccasins, which had been bought from a farm.

By 4pm Monday, the post had been forwarded over 7,000 times, and an online celebrity suspected the woman had released the snakes in a park, not in the wild.

Reporters tried to contact the owner of the account, who is believed to be a young woman in Shenzhen, but failed.

That evening, the account holder deleted all the posts and wrote an apology, but insisted that the snakes were captured animals that had been released back into the wild.

Local police said an investigation is underway.