The man, identified as Marius Joubert, had been recently arrested for animal smuggling by South African authorities. He was only 28 years old.

Joubert had realised that he could fce as much as 25 years in prison when authorities found the snakes he was smuggling.

Deciding to take charge of his life, he stuck his hands into a box carrying two snakes. The snankes injected lethal poison into his hand and wrist, leading to his death.

One of the snakes was a Indochinese Spitting Cobra, while the other has not been identified.

Joubert had been arrested a few days ago and was being held by the police. He was finally taken to his house in presence of the police for a search.

The police took of his handcuffs inside the house and he asked to feed the snakes he had smuggled as they had been without food for a long time.

Instead of feeding the snakes, he stuck his hand inside the tank waiting until they bit him.

Even though an ambulance was called, Joubert refused to be treated and went back to the police station where his condition slowly deteriorated.

He collapsed and was taken to the hospital. However, there was no cure for him. The snakes that had bit him were foreign and no anti-venom was available.

Police confirmed tha he had been bit by the snakes ‘deliberately’.

In addition to finding 60 snakes at his house, police also found a crocodile, iguanas, monitors, tarantulas, hedgehogs and ferrets all kept warm by solar power, special heating pads and extractor fans, according to the Daily Mail.

Joubert had alredy been charged with theft and burglary and is likely to get more offences added to the list.

Meanwhile, Bloemfontein Society for the Prevention of Cruelty for Animals were called by the police to remove the animals to the wild.