Breeder raises venomous snakes for market

Farmer pulled family out of poverty by selling serpents to restaurants

A farmer who swapped raising crops for breeding venomous cobras and other less-deadly snakes, lifting his family out of poverty in just a few years, is eager to share his skills with other villagers in Southwest China's Guizhou province.

In a peaceful courtyard in Liping county's Niujiaowan village, a neat row of bungalows is home to thousands of snakes, including the vibrantly patterned kingsnakes that use constriction to subdue and kill their prey.