A chef was poisoned with snake venom while slaughtering a cobra in a restaurant in Foshan, Guangdong province, on Dec 2, Guangzhou Daily reported.

Zhang immediately felt pain in his eyes and his lower jaw became swollen after venom sprayed from the cobra to Zhang's jaw when the snake's head was cut off.

Zhang was immediately sent to Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Xu Wenchong, a doctor at the hospital, said Zhang was saved thanks to receiving timely medical treatment.

Snake venom can enter people's blood through cuts and their eyes, Xu said.