Zootopia 2 has created a craze in China, with many fans buying real pit vipers. The only problem is that these real snakes are venomous.
The lines between fact and fiction shouldn’t get blurred when people see an animated movie, especially one that features talking animals. Still, Gary, the blue snake from Zootopia 2, has become such a popular character that many fans in China have begun buying actual pit vipers. It doesn’t seem wise to have a pet that can harm you living in your home, especially one that can’t be trained, but that is exactly what’s happening after the release of this most recent Disney movie.
The Gary De’Snake character has caused a craze for Indonesian pit viper pets
Gary De’Snake from Zootopia 2 has become such a hit in China that fans are buying actual Indonesian pit vipers to keep as pets. The blue snake character helped make the Disney sequel China’s highest-grossing foreign animated film ever, but the trend has safety experts worried. E-commerce platforms are seeing a spike in listings for these highly venomous snakes, with prices ranging from $42 to $425. Some sellers are using coded language to avoid content moderation, marketing the snakes as “Gary’s same-style little blue snake.”
Legal experts warn that keeping these aggressive, toxic reptiles could lead to criminal charges if someone gets hurt or the snake escapes. While safer Gary merchandise like plush toys and blind boxes are flying off shelves, the real snake trend shows how a beloved movie character can inspire both heartwarming and potentially dangerous fan reactions.
The venomous snake sales in China could create serious problems
This is the Chinese Year of the Snake in 2025, but that hasn’t sparked as much of a surge for pet snake adoptions and sales as Zootopia 2 has done in China. While this isn’t the first of the movie-inspired pet trends, people who don’t know how to handle a venomous snake should stick with actual Disney movie merchandise trends instead. The desire to own a snake that could make you sick or kill you with its venom seems a bit ludicrous, especially considering many shoppers want them as pets. For snake lovers who understand the challenges and risks, these snakes could be a good choice as an addition to their collections, but there could be other troubles from the spike in snake sales.
Could China face a similar problem to the Florida Everglades?
When people in and around Florida began buying Burmese pythons, they had no idea how large the snakes would get. Eventually, many owners released their pythons into the wild around the Florida Everglades. It seems like a good place to set these snakes free because of the tropical nature of the area, but there’s a serious problem. There aren’t any natural predators for the python, especially those that reach more than 20 feet in length, and that means these pythons have taken over the ecosystem of the area. The same could occur with the venomous Indonesian pit vipers in China if enough owners release them into the wild.
The Chinese pet industry is crazy for snakes
The imagery of the snake in Zootopia 2 might be the push China needed to truly close out the Year of the Snake the right way. A recent report notes that China’s pet industry is made up of more than 50% snakes, as the reptiles that are being kept as pets. In many cases, the reptiles are raised and tamed by humans before being sold in stores, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with the venomous pit vipers.
Chinese law prohibits mailing live animals or dangerous toxins, but there is no prohibition on raising Indonesian pit vipers. The sudden surge in the highly venomous snakes has some snake experts concerned. Those who have trained and studied how to handle and care for these animals understand the risks, while some owners might simply want a blue snake that looks like Gary from Zootopia 2. It seems like the smart move would be for inexperienced owners to consider buying a stuffed Disney version of Gary rather than risking their health and safety with a real pit viper just because it’s blue and looks like the snake from the movie.
While the character of Gary De’Snake in Zootopia 2 seems to have humanlike characteristics, a real-life version is dangerous and can cause a person serious harm and potential death. Your life isn’t worth having a blue snake in your home, and many who think so after watching Zootopia 2 in China might want to rethink their priorities or have their heads examined.
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