Vietnamese police have seized 53 snakes from a car in Hanoi and arrested the driver, Nguyen Van Hai, 30, on Friday, according to the Associated Press.
He was stopped by police for violating traffic laws. Another man was reportedly in the car as well, and fled when police pulled them over.
The live snakes were taken to a wildlife rescue center located near the capital where they will be treated before being released into the wild, according to Officer Dang Van Hanh.
The snakes were kept in green sacks, and were seized on Friday. Hai was attempting to transport the snakes from the northern province of Vinh Phuc to Hanoi, when he was arrested, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
The car driver told officers he had been paid to transport the snakes, according to Hanh. The local media reported he was paid one million Vietnamese dong, which is equivalent to a sum of less than $50.
The snakes are king cobras, the largest snakes in the world, growing up to 18 feet long and venomous. They can weigh up to 13 pounds. Despite their size, the snakes are known to be fast and agile. The meat of the king cobra is considered a delicacy in some areas of Vietnam, a country that has a ban on hunting or trading the snakes. King cobras are also sometimes used in traditional medicines.
King cobras have cultural significance and are used by female snake charmers in Burma, and in India. Whenever a cobra is killed, the head is either crushed or burned to damage the eyes completely, in accordance with local mythology, which says the picture of a killer of a king cobra is kept in the eyes of the snake and then is later picked up by the partner and used to hunt down the killer for revenge.
King cobras prey mostly on other snakes, and are found predominantly in forests in Southeast Asia, from India to Indonesia.
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