Police in Shenyang, Liaoning province, arrested a man and his wife who allegedly captured and sold a large number of wild snakes for a profit.

Following a tip-off from the suspect's neighbor, a local reporter visited the couple's house in the garb of a customer last week and found they had more than 1,000 wild snakes in their apartment.

The reporter phoned the police, who arrested the couple on charges of violating the country's wildlife laws.