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Venom
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by Crescend on February 26, 2010
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If you have venomous animals and can extract the venom can you donate it to an antivenom producer? to help the cause.
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RE: Venom
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by lanceheads on February 26, 2010
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Short version...No.
I'll let Jim Harrison jump in here and explain why, as he's THE expert regarding this.
Randal Berry
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RE: Venom
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by puffadder7 on February 26, 2010
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no im not jim harrison, but if anyone jumps on you hard, its because this question gets asked repeatedly over and over, so just a heads up, arin
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RE: Venom
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by JHarrison on February 27, 2010
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No. Because the venom most be collected in a lab . The lab most be inspected by FDA . Also there is very little need for venom for antivenom at this time.
Nice that you have offered to donate the venom but there is a lot of regulations that go into its production.
Take care
Jim Harrison
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RE: Venom
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by JHarrison on February 27, 2010
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FYI, here is the 'form letter' I send out when people ask us about extraction. It is not meant to be mean, but it is meant to be realistic. I realize not all of the points I address are relevant to every situation, but I just got tired of having to write something every time we got emailed or called about it. So please don't take offense, as it is not intended.
Kristen
KRZ
Here is the letter:
First, anti-venom supplies are not low (even coral snake, there is plenty of the Mexican product available for emergency use) and even when they become low it is not due to a lack of venom.
Second, all venoms must be freeze-dried to be stored and shipped-- at minimum a $10,000 investment, plus supercold freezer, centrifuge, scales.... you are looking at $30,000 at least and probably more like $50,000 just for equipment.
Third, you need literally hundreds/ thousands of snakes to provide any quantity of venom. So, you need a place to put all these snakes, cages, water bowls, bedding, feed, HVAC systems. Most quality racks are running several thousand each now for 10-30 snakes. The building(s) you house them in better be in great shape so you never have an escape.
How many snakes can you take care of yourself without needing employees? I don't know how hard you like to work, personally I work 8-10 hours a day 7 days a week (yes, really) and I can take care of roughly 400-600 snakes, (I don't extract) depending on if they are babies or adults and the species- cobras are more work than rattlesnakes, for example. I don't know of any venom production facility that has only one person who does it all. So, if you have employees you are going to need worker's comp. This is a huge expense as taking care of venomous snakes is hazardous. If you have employees, you will either need the time to take care of payroll yourself or be ready to pay someone else to do it.
Lastly, unless you are a published M.D. or Ph.D., probably no one is going to buy venom from you anyway. The venom providers that exist now (ourselves included) have worked for decades to build a reputation. There are so many people out there trying to sell venom that have no idea what they are doing, that researchers are very leery of someone they have never heard of. This may be unfair, but it is the way it is. So be ready to absorb the cost of all of the above for at least several years with little to no profit.
If you want to work with snakes, look for a job at a zoo or nature center, or with your state's fish and wildlife as a field researcher, or with a consulting company doing field work. You would need a bachelor's degree for any of these. You could breed snakes for the pet trade. If you want to work with venoms, get a Ph.D. and do research. Many venom researchers never buy venom, they keep the snakes they need themselves and extract what they need. If snakebite interests you, get either an Ph.D. or an M.D. and do research in the places where snakebite is a problem-- there is a real need there-- the problems of logistics, distant medical care, affordability are real and do need people to work on them.
I am not trying to be rude or stomp on your personal dreams/ wishes/ whatever. I am just explaining the situation as I see it. Jim Harrison (my husband, director of the zoo) and I do not take a salary from the zoo. We live off of a small pension he gets from being a retired police officer. The zoo makes enough to support itself, but not solely through venom sales- we also are open to the public and do educational programs at schools, etc. Without one of these three avenues we would not still be here.
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RE: Venom
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by Time on February 27, 2010
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Kristin,
I get this question quite a bit also. I would love to use your response as a reply.
Jim's other brother Tim! LOL
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RE: Venom
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by ChuckHurd on February 27, 2010
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If venom is not being used in the production of a medicine or in human testing, it is not regulated by the FDA. That was the response I got many years ago when I talked to the FDA about the regulations. That leaves a very small market. Over the years I have supplied venom to some universities and students for research they were doing. What money can be made from the venom certainly does not offset the risk one takes in extracting it. If you wish to learn to extract, you need to find someone that is experienced in it and train under them. I learned from Dr Ray Hunter.
Aaron, If you make yourself known in your area, there will occasionally be a student or researcher wanting raw venom, rather then the freeze dried and you could help them out….but do not expect a huge demand. It will be more like one call every two to three years.
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RE: Venom
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by AquaHerp on February 27, 2010
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Raw venom collected ad lib is used very seldom and normally only as a training excersise or intial run.
DH
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