A Bamboo Viper, a type of snake, lies on a tree in Qi Lin forest, in Taitung, Taiwan, July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Ann Wang SEARCH "WANG RARE PLANTS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Isabella Cristina Pereira Britto, a veterinary student, and Eduarda Fernades, a local guide, inspect a dead snake in an area that was burnt in a fire in the Pantanal, the world's largest wetland, in Pocone, Mato Grosso state, Brazil, August 31, 2020. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli SEARCH "PANTANAL PEROBELLI" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

The shed skin of a snake lies on charred grass in an area that has seen blazes caused by fire balloons launched from the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, near Kibbutz Kissufim on the Israeli side of the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip August 19, 2020. Picture taken August 19, 2020. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Curled up pangolins and a snake are displayed on a table of a wildlife seller Kunle Yusaf, as he holds up a pangolin in Lagos, Nigeria July 29, 2020. Picture taken July 29, 2020 REUTERS/Seun Sanni

A Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) fire brigade member holds a dead snake during an attempt to control hot points in a tract of the Amazon jungle near Apui, Amazonas State, Brazil August 11, 2020. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A snake eagle chick is seen on its nest after Belarusian ornithologist Vladimir Ivanovski, 73, ringed it in a forest near the village of Yanovichi, Belarus, July 18, 2020. Picture taken July 19, 2020. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

Belarusian ornithologist Vladimir Ivanovski, 73, climbs a tree to ring a snake eagle in a forest near the village of Yanovichi, Belarus, July 18, 2020. Picture taken July 19, 2020. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

Belarusian ornithologist Vladimir Ivanovski, 73, rings a snake eagle in a forest near the village of Yanovichi, Belarus, July 18, 2020. Picture taken July 19, 2020. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

A boy wears a face mask as he poses with a snake for a photo amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Ashkelon, Israel July 6, 2020. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Residents stand in a snaking queue for nucleic acid testings in Wuhan, the Chinese city hit hardest by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, Hubei province, China May 16, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song

A grass snake is seen on a bank of the Vileyka reservoir near the village of Sosenka, Belarus May 3, 2020. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

Grass snakes are seen on a bank of the Vileyka reservoir near the village of Sosenka, Belarus May 3, 2020. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

A grass snake is seen on a bank of the Vileyka reservoir near the village of Sosenka, Belarus May 3, 2020. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

Emiliano Abramo, President of the charity Sant'Egidio of Catania strokes a snake, as he delivers food and nappies to the Orfei circus which has been closed for forty days following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Santa Teresa di Riva, Italy, April 24, 2020. REUTERS/Antonio Parrinello

People wearing face masks line up outside She Wong Yee, a snake restaurant that is expected to shut its doors by the end of April following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Hong Kong, China April 2, 2020. Picture taken April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Yoyo Chow

People wait in a snaking queue to redeem a complimentary three-hour parking coupon, which is part of a promotion to boost retail sales amid the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, after shopping at Changi Jewel Airport in Singapore, March 7, 2020. Picture taken March 7, 2020. REUTERS/Loriene Perera

REFILE - SPECIFYING DESIGNATION A U.S. Marine is fed snake blood during the Cobra Gold multilateral military exercise in Chonburi, Thailand March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

REFILE - SPECIFYING DESIGNATION A U.S. Marine is fed snake blood during the Cobra Gold multilateral military exercise in Chonburi, Thailand March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

REFILE - SPECIFYING DESIGNATION A U.S. Marine is fed snake blood during the Cobra Gold multilateral military exercise in Chonburi, Thailand March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

REFILE - SPECIFYING DESIGNATION A U.S. Marine is fed snake blood during the Cobra Gold multilateral military exercise in Chonburi, Thailand March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

REFILE - SPECIFYING DESIGNATION A U.S. Marine is fed snake blood during the Cobra Gold multilateral military exercise in Chonburi, Thailand March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

REFILE - SPECIFYING DESIGNATION An instructor shows snakes to U.S. Marines during the Cobra Gold multilateral military exercise in Chonburi, Thailand March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

A soldier prepares to cook snake eggs during the Cobra Gold multilateral military exercise in Chonburi, Thailand March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

A soldier barbecues snakes, monkeys and other wild animals during the Cobra Gold multilateral military exercise in Chonburi, Thailand, March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

A soldier holds snake eggs before he cooks during the Cobra Gold multilateral military exercise in Chonburi, Thailand March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

REFILE - SPECIFYING DESIGNATION A U.S. Marine is fed snake blood during the Cobra Gold multilateral military exercise in Chonburi, Thailand March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

REFILE - SPECIFYING DESIGNATION A U.S. Marine is fed snake blood during the Cobra Gold multilateral military exercise in Chonburi, Thailand March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

REFILE - SPECIFYING DESIGNATION A U.S. Marine is fed snake blood during the Cobra Gold multilateral military exercise in Chonburi, Thailand March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

REFILE - SPECIFYING DESIGNATION A U.S. Marine is fed snake blood during the Cobra Gold multilateral military exercise in Chonburi, Thailand March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

REFILE - SPECIFYING DESIGNATION A U.S. Marine is fed snake blood during the Cobra Gold multilateral military exercise in Chonburi, Thailand March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

A reveller with a snake-themed headpiece takes part in the annual block party known as "Cordao de Boitata", during Carnival festivities in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 16, 2020. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares

Feb 15, 2020; Washington, DC, USA; DC Defenders fans make a beer snake out of beer cups in the stands against the NY Guardians in the fourth quarter at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, holds a snake as she visits the Ark Open Farm in Newtownards, Northern Ireland February 12, 2020. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, holds a snake as she visits the Ark Open Farm in Newtownards, Northern Ireland February 12, 2020. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, holds a snake as she visits the Ark Open Farm in Newtownards, Northern Ireland February 12, 2020. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, holds a snake as she visits the Ark Open Farm in Newtownards, Northern Ireland February 12, 2020. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, looks at a snake as she visits the Ark Open Farm in Newtownards, Northern Ireland February 12, 2020. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, holds a snake as she visits the Ark Open Farm in Newtownards, Northern Ireland February 12, 2020. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, holds a snake as she visits the Ark Open Farm in Newtownards, Northern Ireland February 12, 2020. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, holds a snake as she visits the Ark Open Farm in Newtownards, Northern Ireland February 12, 2020. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, holds a snake as she visits the Ark Open Farm in Newtownards, Northern Ireland February 12, 2020. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS

U.S. President Donald Trump reads a poem called "The Snake" during a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S., February 10, 2020. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

A vessel with a drawing of a snake is pictured on the bank of the Hanumante River during the final day of the month-long Swasthani Brata Katha festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal February 9, 2020. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

Jan 29, 2020; Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA; New Mexico superfan Mark Tichenor aka Snake poses for the camera before the Lobos face the San Diego State Aztecs at Dreamstyle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports

Jan 29, 2020; Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA; New Mexico superfan Mark Tichenor aka Snake poses for the camera before the Lobos face the San Diego State Aztecs at Dreamstyle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports

Jan 29, 2020; Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA; New Mexico superfan Mark Tichenor aka Snake taunts the San Diego State Aztecs bench during the first half.at Dreamstyle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports

The soporific buzz of bees fills the abandoned train station at Kiu, a two-hour drive from Kenya's capital Nairobi. Rusting rail sleepers lay on the grass outside; a slender snake slithers away after footsteps disturb his sunbaked snooze. A new Chinese-built rail track lies about 500 metres away from the old colonial-era railway station, which closed down in 2012. But the new high-speed trains thunder through without stopping; Kiu is just a dusty blur glimpsed through the window. Residents of this eastern Kenya town serving 6,000 people, feel bereft without their station and the old railway line, which they depended on to get to work, or the nearest hospitals. Travelling by road is a slow and costly alternative. Opened in 2017, the new $3.3 billion railway is part of China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative, a multi-trillion dollar series of infrastructure projects upgrading land and maritime trade routes between China and Europe, Asia and Africa. The new railway sliced travel times in half for passengers and cargo travelling between the capital Nairobi and the port city of Mombasa. The non-express service takes just over four hours to make six stops but only runs once a day, a steep reduction from the 46 stops of the old service that ran twice a day. REUTERS/Baz Ratner SEARCH "MOMBASAÐNAIROBI TRAIN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. Matching Text: KENYA-RAILWAYS/ TEMPLATE OUT

Dahlias surround sculptures of a horse, snake and ram, which are part of the 12 zodiac animals, during the annual Dahlia Dreams floral display which celebrates the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Rat at Singapore's Gardens by the Bay, January 19, 2020. REUTERS/Loriene Perera

A Peruvian shaman kisses a boa constrictor snake during a ritual of predictions for the new year at Pescadores beach in Chorrillos, Lima, Peru December 26, 2019. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo

Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's supporters gesture and hold banners during a rally in Recife, Brazil November 17, 2019. The banner reads, "The Snake of Lula is here". REUTERS/Adriano Machado

A snake charmer's monkey performs in Colombo, Sri Lanka October 29, 2019. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A snake handler prepares to harvest venom from an African puff adder at the Kenya Snakebite Research and intervention centre in Nairobi, Kenya October 22, 2019. Picture taken October 22, 2019. REUTERS/Njeri Mwangi

Geofrey Maranga, Senior snake handler at the Kenya Snakebite Research and intervention centre, walks at the facility in Nairobi, Kenya October 22, 2019. Picture taken October 22, 2019. REUTERS/Njeri Mwangi

Apphia Ngunge holds her two year old son, Evans Mwendwa whose index finger was amputated at the Mwingi Level 4 hospital after he was bitten by a snake in Mwingi, Kenya, October 23, 2019. Picture taken October 23, 2019. REUTERS/Njeri Mwangi

Snake handlers harvest venom from an African puff adder at the Kenya Snakebite Research and intervention centre in Nairobi, Kenya October 22, 2019. Picture taken October 22, 2019. REUTERS/Njeri Mwangi

Snake handlers, at the Kenya Snakebite Research and intervention centre, carry a spitting cobra to harvest venom in Nairobi, Kenya, October 22, 2019. Picture taken October 22, 2019. REUTERS/Njeri Mwangi

A snake handler shows venom specimen harvested from an African puff adder at the Kenya Snakebite Research and intervention centre in Nairobi, Kenya October 22, 2019. REUTERS/Njeri Mwangi

A nurse from Kenya snakebite research and intervention centre shows how a snakebite victim should be handled during a snakebite sensitisation exercise at Malalani village in Mwingi, Kenya October 24, 2019. Picture taken October 24, 2019. REUTERS/Njeri Mwangi

A nurse talks to Apphia Ngunge, whose two year old son, Evans Mwendwa, had his index finger amputated at the Mwingi Level 4 hospital after he was bitten by a snake in Mwingi, Kenya, October 23, 2019. Picture taken October 23, 2019. REUTERS/Njeri Mwangi