What’s worse than police officers pulling over a car full of gun-toting criminals? Probably stopping a car for violating traffic laws, only to find 56 king cobras inside!
On Friday, Vietnamese police seized dozens of king cobras after discovering them during a routine traffic stop on Phap Van Highway in Hoang Mai District. The officers must have caught on due to the bone-chilling moans the king cobra lets out when on defense. While some snake hiss, cobras sound like a growling dog.
According to Thanh Nien News, the man transporting the snakes, Nguyen Van Hai, 30, said he was hired by someone named “Hop” to move the snakes from the northern province of Vinh Phuc to Hanoi and was paid VND1 million (US$47.31).
King cobras, which are protected from commercial use by Vietnamese law, are the world’s longest, most venomous snake and can reach lengths of up to 18.8 feet. It packs enough venom to kill Asian elephants with a single bite and even posses a rare intelligence that scientists are only beginning to understand.
They were found bundled together in multiple green sacks. The police reported that Hai was accompanied by another man, whose identity was not revealed, but while they checked Hai’s documents he fled.
Police are currently investigating the case. Most likely, the snakes were being transported to be used for medical purposes or to make a special aphrodisiac whiskey.More Like This: Automotive