The government authorities in northeast China's Jilin city, in Jilin Province, recently confiscated more than 1,400 protected wild snakes species from peddlers and set the reptiles free on the upper reaches of the Songhua River, the China News Service reported.

The city's forestry bureau and the industry and commerce administration acted on information provided by local residents who called the mayor's hotline to complain that peddlers were hoarding the snakes in two residential buildings. Some of the snakes are believed to be poisonous.

The government taskforce, in joint efforts with animal protection experts and the police, cracked down on three peddlers and rescued the wild snakes, including varieties of ratsnakes and spotted snakes.