Gaboon Viper venom extraction at KRZ

[iforgotwhatiwasdoin]

mmm orange juice.

[25thesnake]

nice video i love your videos

[goerizal]

the fangs are quite long-one of the longest as a matter of fact. if it breaks can they grow another one?

[kyreptilezoo]

@goerizal Yes, they actually shed and regrow new fangs throughout their lives.

[devilrobrob]

Do you guys keep anti venom around you just in case of an emergency it looks dangerous dealing with venomous snakes all the time the chances of an accident seem very high!

[kyreptilezoo]

@devilrobrob yes we have antivenin in house for the animals that we keep. It would be very irresponsible for us to have these animals and not have antivenin.

[wowplayer685]

do you know if it hurts the snake when you milk it?

[kyreptilezoo]

@wowplayer685 it is not fun for them because they are scared of us but it does not harm them.

[flokurt]

What a beautiful snake! Is that right that it's this species who have the biggest fangs (almost 2 inches) of all the other venemous snake?

[kyreptilezoo]

@flokurt There have been gaboons with fangs that measured over 2 inches. Who knows if this is actually the largest ever, though, since not all fangs of all snakes have been measured. They are big enough, though, certainly!

[modemgateway]

no glovin like a pro!



[kyreptilezoo]

@modemgateway ??? Do you mean why is he not wearing gloves? If so, it is because the gloves are not going to make the procedure safer- they make the wearer loose dexterity (increases the chance of a bite to the torso) they have a hole everywhere there is a seam (lots of places in a glove) and they can not be cleaned without loosing some of their resistant qualities.

[modemgateway]

@kyreptilezoo it wasnt meant to be taken serious man as in a joke

[kyreptilezoo]

@modemgateway Ok, but we didn't get it.

[thegools]

what kind of snake gators are those?

[kyreptilezoo]

@thegools ??? Not sure what you mean?

[unforgivin01]

Isnt there supposed to be plastic on hose cups?

[kyreptilezoo]

@unforgivin01 Sorry, I have no idea what you mean.

[unforgivin01]

@kyreptilezoo For the milking so that the snakes can put their fangs into the plastic and then shoot their venom

[kyreptilezoo]

@unforgivin01 We usually do use parafilm actually on top of the funnel. However, in the past we sometimes did not with the large vipers-- this video is really old.

[unforgivin01]

@kyreptilezoo Ohh okay, well that makes sense :)

[persilbran]

I don't want to come by and give that I try

[zuhutay]

Very beautiful viper. It's impressive how you need to massage the head. Congrats and thanks for the video.

[thetasters]

Holy crap those fangs have to be over an inch long!

[MrAntojin]

@thetasters 2 inches at least, they can grow up to 2,5!

[arod85]

This snake has huge fangs.

[kyreptilezoo]

@AndarLucifer the max recorded fang length is 2.5 inches

[kyreptilezoo]

@Chally70 Thanks.

[amybeth676]

I've always wanted to extract venom from a snake. When would be a good time for me to come to KRZ and give it a whirl?

[kyreptilezoo]

@amybeth676 lol! yeah right- we don't have enough insurance!

[Asunderer]

you sir have just earned a 100 man-points from this video

[kyreptilezoo]

@SurfNSunFun Same species not the same snake.

[darthmaul543]

don't they have hemotoxins?

[kyreptilezoo]

@darthmaul543 Yes, we just mentioned the cardiotoxin. Most snakes have several toxins and other chemicals in the venom.

[brettvett1]

Why don't you wear gloves just in case?

[kyreptilezoo]

@brettvett1 Gloves make you have less dexterity, which means if something goes wrong you are more likely to get bit on the torso which would be very bad. The snake resistant gloves that are out there have two other problems: 1. they are weak at every seam, and 2. if they are cleaned, which would be a necessity, they become less resistant to bites.

[theopat1999]

have you ever been on pbs and if so what show

[kyreptilezoo]

@theopat1999 Yes, we've been on a couple, including some local and national shows, but it has been several years.

[dy81]

Great clip !

[BARRON120]

That's life right there!

Milking a Gabonica in Kentucky with some rock music in the background.

You got to love it!

[JEPMANLEMON]

These guys are usually pretty mellow... not this one!

[XxCrazyKBxX]

my hat goes off to you, just watching, as ur thumb is like trying to press on his glands for venom, and knowing if that thing slipped and struck your hand, ud be in some serious trouble!

[TitWarlord]

do u mention this is ur job when u get health insurance?

LOL

[kobesn1fan24]

good drink of OJ :]

[shussey100]

It's a snake from Central Africa. Usually placid and slow moving but with high yielding venom. Not to be messed with.

[daveh291]

that' s really pretty cool,i have read the Gaboon is pretty laid back for a viper and they are docile but still a very deadly snake if they bite you.it takes nerves of steel to work do what you guys do.

[coyotefever105]

So is the venom used to develop anit-venom?

[kyreptilezoo]

@coyotefever105 The exotic snakes we extract from are typically used for research, not antivenom, though some native snakes' venom goes for antivenom production.

[cowboy9mmca]

I am glad that there are men and women like you willing to take on this type of work! Curious how hard are you gripping the snake to keep control of it as the snake seems fairly strong?

[kyreptilezoo]

@cowboy9mmca They are strong, but we only hold on as tight as needed to prevent escape. You can feel the muscles and bones with the hand and so guage how much pressure to use.

[nerxboy]

the only thing i hated about this video were the part hearing the screeching of the fangs on the plastic... it really bothered me.. i bet its not good for the snakes...

[kyreptilezoo]

@nerxboy The snake doesn't care what its fangs hit as long as they are not damaged, which they are not during extractions. The noise might not be the greatest, though.

[cenaxlolive]

i was bit by one it sucks

[ffaboy8]

@cenaxlolive yea that would mainly because they have some of the biggest fangs for a snake

[sesipe02]

so how did you feel afterwards?

[TheJzai]

haha, the way you clamp it between your legs make it look like you have a venomous wang

[Saihitei7]

Now, with the concentration of proteins in the venom, are there any factors that affect how concentrated the venom can be? Like diet or genetics...?

[kyreptilezoo]

Diet and health effect the protein content.

[Cabronosidad]

Jeez, I don't know how much he gets paid, but it's definitely not enough!

[Indianriverreptilezo]

Hi Jeez ! you sure are right he does not get paid enough ! everyone you can donate right here on you-tube to help them out!

[claylytle]

Gaboons are so beautiful. I prefer the west over the east. I've wanted to visit your zoo for a while and plan on coming sometime this spring or summer. Keep up the great work!

[huynh12312]

u should put plastic tin wrap on it so it can pop a hole and not hurt the snake...

[kyreptilezoo]

Not sure what you mean? We do sometimes use parafilm on the funnel- actually we typically do now, this video is several years old.

[SCE2AUX]

@huynh12312 I had wondered about that myself. At the Miami Serpentarium, they used a pretty strong membrane, there were some used ones lying on the window ledge in one of the storage rooms and they all had one or two pairs of punctures. Of course they used a much thicker one for the KIng Cobra, and I assume some of the more powerful snakes like this one.

[DanielLaNoue]

love the mitch ryder - could've used some latin lupe lu though :)

[otep3241]

im curious if thats how he lost his index finger

[kyreptilezoo]

Weight bench accident not snake.

[viperkeeper]

Do you extract from EA Gaboons as well as WA Gaboons shown here? Is there much difference in the venom profiles between species?

[kyreptilezoo]

Yes.None that we have seen.

[pillowtoast]

Awesome!!! Is that vile all from a single milking? Damn thats a lot

[kyreptilezoo]

Several animals helped fill the vial.

[MattWallMusic]

I love snakes, got 22 myself....do however think I'd pass on the whole milking a gabby thing though :P

[twiikimchi]

if you squeeze on its glands won't it get an infection? o.O

[kyreptilezoo]

Yes, they will. Jim is not squeezing hard enough to damage or injure the glands; he is just massaging the muscles around the glands.

[hyperhunk90]

Jim is the MAN !

[funnyboys112]

Once they have there venom removed will they get more?

[dutchfett]

yes, its like human saliva

[MattWallMusic]

Yep :)

[lordabomity]

wow that looked like orange juice lol..don't drink it! lol

[prairiebutterfly]

Yikes!!! I wonder just what is going through that snake's mind... is he like hellooooo, big sharp pointy fangs with nasty venom are supposed to scare you away, not do this!?!

[kyreptilezoo]

lol

Probably they are just scared... it would be nice if we could explain to them what we want, but I would think they are just worried about getting eaten-- as would happen in the wild.

[ToonandBBfan]

Thanks

I still wouldnt want the guys job though - LOL

[MszJackieChu]

Oh and one more thing out of curiousity-how often can the snakes be milked?

[kyreptilezoo]

We do it every two to three weeks. This lowers the stress on the animals.

[MszJackieChu]

Dang that must be such tiring work. I work with animals and I think the hardest thing about them is you always have to be engaged with them and know what theyre/doing thinking

But these are amazing videos thanks for posting! You do admirable work =]

[borgesferraristaroxo]

wool. Ok. Thank you!!

[borgesferraristaroxo]

I´m sorry. I don´t speak english.

It was only a serpent used to extract this amount of poison?

Thanks so much.

[kyreptilezoo]

Several snakes were used. 7 animals were used adults and yearlings.

[impmaster2]

very small gaboonie the first one

[6041321as]

I really whana know how much that little bottle worth??????in US$?? I think that cost a lot mate,ha?

[kyreptilezoo]

Eh, not as much as you may think. You can see our pricelist on our website if you are curious. The amount in this vial is less than one gram, probably.

[ToonandBBfan]

Whatever that guy gets paid...........its not enough!!!!!

The Gaboon is a scary looking viper.

[PAreptilekeeper]

a little to rough with that gaboon i would say????

[kyreptilezoo]

All of our snakes feed voluntarily and we even have some longevity records on a few species. The large Bitis are strong animals and you do have to hold on - but we've never injured one during an extraction.

[clawver937]

i think i saw a t.v show on them saying like that their fangs could be like about 13 in. ...i think

[kyreptilezoo]

Actually its 2 " i a 6' animal. Thanks for the comment.

[specvwhite]

do you do any extractions with scorpion venom??? specifically Death Stalkers???it is a growing field and I conduct research in this area as a hobby as well as an owner of the species. I used to own several Gaboons but after I saw an envenimation where the snake bit through it's own lower lip that was enough. I still own 2 cobras but Gaboons are a thing of the past. Elapids are easier in my opinion depending on the species.

[kyreptilezoo]

No, we don't work with any arachnids. Elapids can be easier in some ways.

[turdspooning]

that last one is huge. I want a gaboon viper so bad.

[feebix]

Blimey !! that`s my favourite viper but I`ll never have one, my hognoses are about as venomous as I`ll go I think ! lol

[Bothrops01]

Well he's a braver man than me, but if he has been extracting for 30 years, he must has a wealth of experience.

Good work.

My favourite snake by the way.

[Bothrops01]

Ummm, I take it you didn't lose your finger in a meat grinder?

I would like to see this sort of extraction on a fully grown female gaboon!!!

[kyreptilezoo]

The lost finger due to weight bench. Jim has been breeding and extracting from Bitis gabonica and Bitis rhinoceros for over 30 years. The video is just a small sample of the animals in our collection. This video was filmed by an intern.

[impmaster2]

u got balls mate but exotic snakes as that are a risk its a risky business raising exotic venomous snakes hope u dont flop up and get bit especially by a gaboon some of the most dangerous venom u can get

[IR0NMAIDEN12]

I have a gaboon viper i think hes cute.

feel free to say im weird

[gadgeteer101]

ur weird lol

fair play, though

[AvitoholIYI]

Man,no offence, but this was by far the worst (most dangerous) venom extraction i've ever seen..I guess you "know what ur doing" but ,dude, don't put ur finger below snake's fangs..

[AvitoholIYI]

of course, respect for what u are doing..one of my closest friend lost his hand because of snake bite..we need more people like u in this world :)

[kyreptilezoo]

Thanks for the comment the video may give the impression that the fangs are close but my fingers are out of reach. I have extracted venom from thousands of Gaboon vipers for many thousand extractions in 32 years and have not had a problem. I too had a friend that was bitten but he died. Take care.

[JSBgermany]

Did he die because he was bitten? Is there no antivenom?

[kyreptilezoo]

Yes. There is antivenom but there was a delay in giving it that lead to his death we believe.

[kyreptilezoo]

We don't have hybrids.The venom would still work for antivenom because both species are in the product. Would crossing them effect the venom much. This is unknown so the buyers of venom want species not hybrids.

[kyreptilezoo]

15 gaboons. Total animals on grounds 2000.

[Cssfan101]

HOw many grown men could be killed by the venom of one grown snake??im guessing bout 5-8??

thanks

[kyreptilezoo]

Hard really to know because we use LD 50's on mice to estimate lethal dose for humans. Mice are not humans so humans may react different. One drop would probably kill several adult males.

[turtlesrock527]

i always wanted to know if it hurts when the fangs cut through the membrane. lol

[kyreptilezoo]

No, it doesn't hurt them.

[critterfreek82]

Gaboon vipers are one of my favorite venomous snakes, so this was a pleasure. Thanks!

Also, with fangs like those, I bet it must be like being stabbed with a pair of combat knives for the prey.

[Spoinker94]

Find a venemous reptile expo maybe even a reptile expo, gaboons are about 60$ but if u change ur mind venemous reptile expos have basically every venemous snake for sale from boomslang to ball python to taipan to green mamba all that good stuff , o and the copperhead xD

[kyreptilezoo]

Can't really tell you because we have no idea if it is legal where you live. Check with your local fish and wildlife agency first.

[dinmaku]

How often are fangs broken? What is the course of action when this occurs.

[kyreptilezoo]

Snakes replace their fangs (indeed all their teeth) on a regular basis, so it is not uncommon for one to shed a fang during extraction. We simply make sure it is filtered out or otherwise removed from the venom. Normally they would just swallow the fang in the food. It is not damaging to the snake.

[keezyb4life]

dude you scared me watching you do that dont u ever think you easy get bitten even accidental by one of them by doing that?

[kyreptilezoo]

There are risks but we try to make it as safe for me and the snake as possible. I extract venom from about 600 to 1000 per week. We also maintain antivenom for all snakes in our collection that antivenom is produced for.

[johnkaighin]

what do you use the venom for then??

[kyreptilezoo]

Gaboon venom has a pretty strong cardiotoxin that is being used in cardiac research. Sometimes using the toxin can help us to understand what is gong wrong when there is a disorder.

[HatredEmbraced]

How often do you extract venom from them?

[kyreptilezoo]

Every two weeks.

[kyreptilezoo]

Thanks,

we do try to use the animals we have in captivity in as many ways possible- if they are gong to be in captivity, they shouldn't be wasted!

[kyreptilezoo]

Yes that's true.

Other snakes have bitten more than once as well.

[kyreptilezoo]

No snake is truly aggressive. They bite only to obtain food or to protect themselves.

[EMG4Life]

i would call the mamba a more agressive snake the most from what i kno, but i kinda have to agree with you there.

[kyreptilezoo]

Even mambas are not truly aggressive- they will flee if possible in the wild. They are more flighty than many other snakes and quicker to bite, but will not come up to you and bite for no reason.

[EMG4Life]

100% agreed. i never ment that any snake will bite for no reason.

but the mamba has been known to do multiple bites on one person.

[heart4herps]

Wow they have a lot of venom!!!

[kyreptilezoo]

That is one thing that their looking at with the venom. The other is stopping growth of tumors or the spread of cancer.

[kyreptilezoo]

Researchers are using the venom in cancer and heart research.

[kyreptilezoo]

Not sure what purpose that would serve...venom is not poison, so drinking it won't hurt you unless you have an open sore in the mouth or throat. It would, however, be a good way to get salmonella.

[BostonMacK]

What a great video kyreptile! You have nerves of steel massaging the snakes venom sacks like that but it's very clear that you know exactly what youre doing. I just watched another horrific video of a guy catching a very large gabby and he was holding it by the tail with it's head about 8" from his leg. It looked to me like either inexperience or a deathwish, either way it was scary.

Have you ever been bitten? Anything in the bitis family commands great respect.

[kyreptilezoo]

Thanks. Bitis can be deceiving because they act so lethargic, but they can strike very fast and are quite agile. Jim's not been bitten by a Bitis but has had other bites over the years- you can see some pictures on our snakebite videos.

[JohnnyGoo]

Hey, hope things are good. I've noticed there's no membrane on the funnel here, what's the significance or benefit of using a membrane, and why didn't you use one here?

[kyreptilezoo]

That's a good question. A researcher was looking at the pulses of venom flow from the fangs, which the membrane would obscure. We usually use a membrane because it blocks possible debris in the mouth from getting into the venom and also because it gives the snake something to bite into.

[duvall1955]

i live in owenton ky. i have stopped 3 or 4 times in the last few years and each time you were closed. you facility is great. i have always liked venomous snakes they fascinate me. when are u open and how much does it cost to get in ? thanks.

[kyreptilezoo]

Or website is on our profile here. We open weekends only starting the first weekend in March and open daily the end of May.

[duvall1955]

thanks for the info. i will be there soon. i know a man in middlesboro ky that goes to a holiness chuch. need i say more, he has a puff adder that is as big as my arm. i hope they have antivenin in middlesboro if somebody gets biten by it. the fastest striking snake in the world. talk to you later.

[holzking2002]

Is there any difference in toxicity between the subspecies of gaboons?

[kyreptilezoo]

Actually they are now species. Bitis gabonica and Bitis rhinceros. Their venoms are very much a like but more studies on geographic differences need to be done. SAIMR Antivenom works on both.

[holzking2002]

So are they both still called "Gaboon" vipers?

[kurtpe12]

Hey dude they should be called gaboon vipers.

Maybe you should look it up on google.

[holzking2002]

if they brought the subspecies up to the species level, sometimes they change the common name, especially when the common name reflected both subspecies.

[kt484]

Hello this is kt484 i love your video and im goint subcribe and can you add me to your friend list?

[kyreptilezoo]

Yes, I will add you.

[mysteria0910]

Ooohh my. I would never want to come in contact with those fangs, they are huge. I've seen them on viperkeepers channel but not fully extended to where you can see the entire fang. Amazing video.

[viperkeeper]

I could see the serparation of the pooled venom in the video. How many specimens were milked for that vial? I would not think there would be enough difference in specific gravity for the venom (protein content) to layer like that. Very cool!

[kyreptilezoo]

I think it was 10. Some of the older animals are the ones that make the layer look.

[cboy4]

I'm a big fan of your work Jim. Thanks for your great videos and your channel! =)

[kyreptilezoo]

Thanks we will be adding more soon.