BEIJING: A Chinese man who tried to give a goodbye kiss to a snapping turtle landed in a hospital after the creature bit him on the lip and refused to let go.

A set of photos posted on China's microblogging site, Weibo, showed the turtle clamping its jaws down on the victim.

The man, from Fujian province, was preparing to release the turtle in the wild, when he was unexpectedly bitten on the lips.

The turtle refused to release its powerful, beak-like jaws and was dangling from the man's face until it was pulled away from the victim.

Netizens mocked the man, calling it a passionate goodbye kiss, Guangzhou Daily reported.

The man was rushed to a hospital but it was not known how serious his injury was. According to 'Shanghai Daily', the animal appears to be an alligator snapping turtle, a reptile that native to North America.

Authorities believe the turtle may have been a pet that was released.

