The great snake escape

Twenty-a-day man

Among the snake catchers, one volunteer stood out — Chen Peixin, a 33-year-old with more than 600,000 social media followers.

For him, catching a snake with his bare hands is as natural as picking up a rope — he grabs the tail with practiced ease and bags it safely.

Driven by a sense of duty, Chen traveled over 1,000 kilometers from his home in Zhangzhou, Fujian province, to Hengzhou. He spent about two weeks there, catching an average of 20 snakes a day.

"Snakes aren't as terrifying as people imagine," Chen said.

"After the flood, some die. A surviving snake's first instinct is to hide and stay alive," he said, adding most snakes attack only when they feel threatened or provoked.

Chen, a member of the Zhangzhou Liming rescue team and a popular science blogger known as "Yuri" online, first learned of the crisis through news reports. "I'd never been anywhere else to catch snakes before," he said. "But when I saw what was happening, I couldn't just stand by."

He offered to help through his social media account. The response was overwhelming. He received numerous messages and over 10,000 likes.

On July 11, he and an assistant drove for more than 10 hours to Hengzhou, the world's largest jasmine planting base, which had been hit hard by the floods.

Upon arriving in Yunbiao town, he immediately began scouting for snakes by rivers and in jasmine fields, which were now largely destroyed. The small shelters scattered in the fields had become prime hiding spots for snakes.

Following local leads, he focused on Wuzhai village, where there was another snake farm. "Only when I got there did I realize how serious it was," he recalled. "I made up my mind: catch as many as I could, and do everything possible to help the villagers."

Back home, his rescue team usually handles one snake at a time, but this time, there were hundreds, or possibly thousands, Chen said.

The work was grueling. Wading through thick mud in boots, he had to clear debris, not just wood and bamboo, but vines, thorns, and broken tiles, before he could even get to the snakes.

His mission had an early setback when a thorn pierced his left hand. He initially ignored it, but the wound became infected. "The bacteria in the floodwater caused it to swell, and I couldn't bend my thumb. It's impossible to catch snakes with one good hand," Chen said.

He was forced to return home to recover.

But his followers were not willing to let the effort end. After he confirmed he would return, they raised over 3,000 yuan ($445) to support his trip back. His rescue team also contributed.

Four days later, on July 17, Chen was back in Yunbiao.

One video he posted on July 18, a five-minute compilation of his work, garnered over 440,000 likes and 40,000 comments.

"So snake catching is as easy as catching mud fish, just grab the tail and shake it!" one user commented, joking he wanted to try it himself.

Others empathized with the cameraman: "The cameraman's heart was saying 'Stop asking me to get closer'."

Chen's first assistant declined to return, so this time he brought along his longtime friend Lai Yanquan. Lai admitted he was scared the first time he saw so many snakes. It took several days for him to even dare to film close-up.