Meanderings From an Unusual Snake Farm

Aaron Matthew Joy is a WWU graduate and former resident of Bellingham. He worked as a research historian and writer for the Whatcom Museum of History & Art and The Bellingham Herald and was active in the theater community. He also authored “A History of Bellingham’s Parks.” He currently lives in Kobe, Japan where he teaches English to kindergarteners and elementary schoolers.

Have you ever given any guess to where doctors get antivenom serum for snakebites? (Hopefully, if you have, it was only for pleasure or science class and not out of necessity.) If you haven’t, then remember the following trivia the next time you’re playing Trivial Pursuit—antivenom serum comes from a snake being milked at a snake farm. Is this answer close to your guess?

I’ll confess a lifelong dislike of snakes, whether crawling around, in a photo or snapping its jaws in an Indiana Jones film. (Ironically, the snake is my sign in the Chinese horoscope.) Last summer, much to my great surprise and without any deliberate prompting on my part, I found myself touring the Queen Saowapha Memorial Institute (formerly the Pasteur Institute) on the edge of the Chao Phraya River while on holiday in Bangkok, Thailand. This Thai Red Cross managed institute, named after an ardent supporter of healthcare reform, is the second oldest snake farm in the world and where a snake gets milked for its venom. It was opened in 1923 through contributions from foreigners residing in or near Siam (now called Thailand).

Now, I’m sure you’re probably wondering about this article. Snakebites in Thailand are not a topic normally discussed in the pages of this periodical. But, the scope of the Whatcom Watch is about environmental issues, including such diverse topics as pollution, nature and physical health. Though it may not be a common problem in Whatcom County, snakebites are as much an environmental concern in some areas as is getting clean drinking water. Venomous snakebites are also one of the most painful injuries that can occur to an individual.

Touring the snake farm came quite unexpectedly when the wooden tour boat I was in (it was barely 8 a.m., so I was the only passenger on the $5 two-hour cruise) stopped for a stretching break at the snake farm. It was expected that I would willingly pay the 100 Baht (approximately $2.50) entry fee and tour the farm...and then purchase something from the souvenir stands that engulfed the entrance. Not wanting to be rude and being the only native English speaker in the area (with very limited Thai), I did as expected.

The farm, which should actually be called a zoo, as that’s what it looks like, is barely more than an acre large and contains not just dozens of snakes (both poisonous and not, and including cobras, king cobras, sea snakes and vipers—all of which I saw) but also birds, monkeys, an alligator, tiger and animals native to the region.

The snake farm produces antivenom serum for hospitals across the region through daily snake milking sessions. The milkings are done as part of a daily afternoon public show under a big-top tent, highlighted with death-defying snake handling by the fearless Thai trainers. Venomous snakes are milked through a simple process of getting a snake to bite into a container and thus releasing its venom for collection. This drains the snake of its poison and leaves it harmless for about 20 minutes.

Not all snakebites contain fatal poisons, but they should always be treated as if they do. If not treated, a bite containing poison will cause a slow and painful death as the venom slowly eats away at its victim’s body. For humans, this death can last over several days. In its natural state, a snake’s venom is meant to stun animals it wishes to feed on (such as fish or rats). The fact that it’s also a defense mechanism is a side affect.

One should be aware that many snakebites can be avoided as snakes are not naturally aggressive and only attack under provocation. They are slightly blinded by the sun and have no external ears and are deaf to sounds. They smell through their tongues and detect vibration through the ground. Provocation can often be avoided by walking away and ignoring the snake, as opposed to attacking it or trying to catch it. One should also know that even though serums exist, side effects can develop that sometimes require the same amount of medical attention as the bite itself.

I was too early to see any of the shows (not that my courage was looking for such a challenge), but while standing just inside the entrance, wondering which glass and wire cage I should approach first, one of the snake handlers came up to me and led me to a nearby cardboard box sitting on the ground. Lifting the box, he revealed a six-foot poisonous viper resting in the box’s shade from the intense August heat and sun. The snake soon coiled its way around the handler’s body as I slowly turned pale while watching.

Through much prompting by the trainer I was eventually led to pet my least favorite friend. The touch lasted but a few seconds, but brought me closer to a snake than I had ever expected to get. This is also as close as I want to get in the future and insisted on such as the man slowly approached me...wanting to wrap the snake around my shoulders so a photo could be taken for Mom.

Sorry, Mom, no photos for the album this time...but, just a story and the knowledge that I still don’t like snakes. §