A 14-year-old in Cheongju, South Korea, was bitten on the back of the hand by a forest cobra while trying to sell it and required antivenom care.
Here's what to know
A 119 emergency call was placed after the middle school student showed signs of paralysis, according to The Korea Times.
Police said the bite happened when the boy removed the cobra from its cage.
He was airlifted to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, to receive treatment. Police identified the snake as a forest cobra obtained through an online community, per the Times.
Under South Korea's Wildlife Protection and Management Act, forest cobras are designated wild animals, so keeping or trading them is generally prohibited.
Police will trace how the snake changed hands before deciding whether to book the boy.
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More background
In Korea, a similar case in July involved the illegal keeping of dangerous wildlife.
A reptile found in a stream in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, was identified as a Siamese crocodile.
That case led police to book a man in his 30s. He was accused of keeping the crocodile after buying it in 2023 for 1.2 million won ($905) through an online reptile-trading community, the Times reported.
Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the species is categorized as a Class I internationally endangered species.
Many dangerous wildlife events stem from capture, confinement, transport, or trade. As the BBC explains, various factors drive human-wildlife encounters, with human activity chief among them.
What's being done?
Police were investigating how the forest cobra allegedly moved through the online community before deciding on the next step.
Past violations of the same law have brought prison time.
In 2016, a social media personality received a four-month sentence for violating the law after keeping a Siamese crocodile in his home for eight years and using rabbits and other animals as feed.
Where can I learn more?
Cheongju isn't the only place where cobras, crocodiles, and other reptiles have raised alarms.
• In India, a snakebite victim brought a live cobra to the hospital, sending staff running.
• In South Korea, families fled when a protected rat snake sparked a stream park scare.
• In India, a handler dragged a protected python before the 13-foot snake bit him.
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