Bamboo vipers and many-banded kraits: A thrilling night-time journey through Hong Kong's snake-filled wilderness.

In a split second, William Sargent’s flashlight catches the glint of snake scales, and he swiftly dons his protective gloves, charging into the dense northern Hong Kong jungle.

Within moments, the 46-year-old emerges back onto the path, holding a many-banded krait, or Bungarus multicinctus, a highly venomous snake with striking black-and-white stripes that rank among the world's most dangerous.

"This one’s a true beauty, absolutely stunning," Sargent exclaims, sweat beading on his forehead as he holds the wriggling snake. "If there were an elite model of snakes, this would be top-tier. But it’s also one you definitely want to avoid getting bitten by—untreated, it could cause respiratory failure and be fatal."

Since 2017, Sargent, a licensed snake expert approved by local authorities, has been guiding daring participants on nocturnal 'Snake Safaris' through Hong Kong’s lush, biodiverse areas like Tai Mo Shan Country Park, home to the highest peak in the New Territories, offering unique experiences to hundreds of visitors each year.

Having moved to Hong Kong at just two years old, the British-born Sargent developed a deep passion for herpetology, studying amphibians and reptiles while immersing himself in the city’s vibrant subtropical landscapes as a teenager. His guided tours serve not only as a way to explore his own interest but also to challenge misconceptions, raise awareness, and foster a greater appreciation for snakes.

"Most snakes that end up in your home don’t want to be there. It's often just an accident, like a fish leaping into your boat," he explains. "If you're sensible, there's no real danger. Unfortunately, fear leads many to kill snakes needlessly."

Despite being a bustling global metropolis comparable in size to Los Angeles, Hong Kong boasts about 40% of its territory as protected country parks. With over 50 snake species—from the potentially lethal King Cobra to the enormous Burmese Python, which can reach lengths of over 26 feet—residents of the city, which has a population of 7.3 million, frequently encounter wildlife in their daily lives.

"Hong Kong has an unexpectedly high number of snakes considering its size," says Dr. Sung Yik-hei, a professor at Lingnan University and a leading expert on the city's reptiles. "This is due to the vast variety of habitats found here, including mountains, coastlines, lowlands, wetlands, and freshwater streams."

Despite Hong Kong's abundant reptilian population, there are only about 100 snake bites reported each year, which equates to roughly a one in 50,000 chance. The last fatality occurred in 1988 when a shopkeeper was bitten while attempting to defang a non-native snake that had no available antivenom.

"While the likelihood of encountering a snake is not insignificant," adds Sung, "the chance of being bitten is extremely rare. Even if it happens, Hong Kong is one of the safest places in the world for snake bites, thanks to its top-quality hospitals and their accessibility."

Sargent, for his part, receives calls every week to capture snakes from various locations including schools, prisons, homes, and even a beach on Lantau Island where he once captured a 15-foot python. As of August, he became the first expert to join the "Rapid Release Program," which allows him to release captured snakes directly into the nearest country park, bypassing lengthy bureaucratic procedures and keeping the snakes healthier.

However, the adoption of this policy has not been without challenges, complicated by Hong Kong's intricate cultural dynamics.

In Hong Kong, snakes are often consumed in soup, used for traditional Chinese medicine, or simply seen as a nuisance. As a result, many of China’s larger snake species are listed as vulnerable, threatened, or endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, which tracks the conservation status of species worldwide.

Thanks to Sargent, who has hosted talks at local schools and created the Facebook group 'Hong Kong Snakes' (which now has 15,000 members sharing photos, insights, and advice about snake sightings), the fear surrounding snakes is slowly being replaced with understanding.

Michelle Yu, a member of both the Facebook group and one of Sargent's tours, says her view of snakes has been completely transformed since moving to Hong Kong from Washington DC nine years ago. "You go from being disgusted to eagerly seeking out these fascinating creatures," she explains.

For some, the experience highlights the unique blend of urban life and nature in Hong Kong: towering skyscrapers standing alongside untamed landscapes. "It’s an incredible feeling to escape the city," says Loïc Sorgho, a 42-year-old French banker. "Where else can you go from a 50-story building to a tropical jungle in minutes?"

During the two-hour tour, the group encounters nine different species of snake: three bamboo pit vipers, two diamondback water snakes, a bicolored stream snake, a mock viper, a greater green, and the many-banded krait. At one point, Sargent carefully holds out the krait for participants to stroke its soft midriff. "Please don’t touch past halfway up its body," he jokes. "It won’t do my insurance any favors."

The tour offers a wealth of wildlife sightings: barking deer, elusive leopard cats, spiky porcupines, slippery swamp eels, soaring birds of prey, a variety of frogs, and striking fire-bellied newts with their vibrant orange and red markings on dark undersides.

As the group nears the end of the winding route through rocky paths lined with bamboo and across babbling streams, Sargent spots a baby diamondback water snake coiled on a plant. He carefully picks it up. "It’s trying to bite me," he chuckles just before being nipped on his fingertip. "Ouch! It’s highly toxic to geckos, but I’ll be fine."

After being released, the snake, its pale yellow body adorned with diamond-shaped markings, slips silently over the water's moonlit surface, as the chorus of cicadas fills the stillness of the Hong Kong night.