FIRST OFF . . .

Live snakes sent to video rental shop owners in London to promote a horror film will be retrieved and the stunt will be canceled because of public outcry, the organizers said Tuesday. Cinema International Corp., which began sending out 700 Chinese rat snakes to shops nationwide last week as part of a promotional package for the video release of the film “The Serpent and the Rainbow,” said it was worried about the nonpoisonous reptiles. “We were worried that all this unwarranted attention could get the public overly interested in the snakes, and result in them coming to harm,” said Paul Brett, the company’s marketing manager. “We thought the best thing to do was to take them back.” The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had a different view on what might cause the snakes harm. It pointed out that directions accompanying the snakes had incorrectly said they didn’t need to be fed during what Cinema International planned as the snakes’ monthlong stay in the shops. But an RSPCA spokeswoman said Tuesday it welcomed the end of the promotion, adding “obviously CIC has seen the error of its ways, and we’re very pleased about that.”