Spitting Cobra venom extraction at KRZ

[TheZamolxie]

hi there...very nice videos....but what are you doing with the venom?.....where do you sell it to?

[kyreptilezoo]

@TheZamolxie It goes to researchers at pharmaceutical companies and universities.

[PsychoAryan]

Nice work sir. Ive had the pleasure to watch Carl Barden in numerous extractions and I must say I love every second of it. Hats off and god bless.

[resistislam2011]

so how long does the venom keep toxicity after you extract it?

[kyreptilezoo]

@resistislam2011 It is freeze dried after extraction and stable for years. Wet venom will degrade in hours to weeks, depending on the components in the venom.

[resistislam2011]

@kyreptilezoo oh okay so basically freeze the venom and it stays good dont freeze it and it spoils in hours or weeks, ive always wonderd about that

[bwhunter4567]

I actually plan to open a venom extraction lab and I would like to know what I should do to plan for this. I would like to know if I am able to just do this with an AA degree or if I need further education

[kyreptilezoo]

@bwhunter4567 If you want to do research you'd need a Ph.D., for a lab probably at least a bachelor's if you want to have credibility with the research community. If you want to email us we'll send you our form letter that we made which addresses the needs of a venom lab.

[theopat1999]

I am planning to open my own venom extraction lab in the future and my grandmother has suffered alzheimers and I am going to further my research to finding a venom treatment for alzheimers.So in your experience and opinion which species of snake is the main candidate for treatment into alzheimers?

[kyreptilezoo]

@theopat1999 Neurotoxic snakes are the ones that may show promise for various neurological disorders. Perhaps not a direct cure but they may enhance our understanding of the disease process. A noble goal- we would also recommend either a MD or PhD, if you don't have one already.

[crazy8sdrums]

The cobra would have been much easier to catch if you had just played it some clarinet...

[kyreptilezoo]

@crazy8sdrums ha ha, if only snakes could actually hear that might work!

[crazy8sdrums]

@kyreptilezoo :) Don't cobras have tympanic membranes?

My hats off to you, sir, for your brave career choice! Even though I like them, snakes don't like me a whole lot. My boa and my pythons have bitten me! Love taps, I think. I'm not gonna risk it with a cobra.

Cheers!

[HOLYDSFA]

is it weird if I find that standing snake in the cage is really cute?

[laney50w]

I applaud you folks...Great vids, and educational! You guys gotta' have some serious "nerves of steel" to do this line of work... :)

[BleedBlsSdmf]

I noticed you do not wear gloves while doing this. Would the venom irritate the skin if it got on your hands? And if so, how bad?

[kyreptilezoo]

@BleedBlsSdmf Possibly it could cause a rash. I have not had a problem with the venom yet but others have.

[Velocir1]

well ok i see now nothing is cruel about this so errmm sorry if i wasted any of your time :)

[kyreptilezoo]

@Velocir1 Not a waste of time. We are here to educate and answer questions.

[fatfreak3593]

we just found a rattle snake out in albany kentucky i was lucky enough to run over it and stop right in it and shoot its head with my 12 gage.

[kyreptilezoo]

@fatfreak3593 Is this suppose to impress us. Killing an animal just for fun is a waste. You are not protecting anyone by killing it. I hunt and fish but only take what I will use for food.

[DeathMetal4Ever1]

@fatfreak3593 Lmao your a pussy

[Velocir1]

well now that i know its not injured i still have one thing to say this will sound stupid but do they get released back into the wild or not thats all i want to know

[kyreptilezoo]

@Velocir1 Captivity animals can not be released into the wild due to disease issues. Most of our animals are breed in captivity.

[JayyThao]

can the snake reproduce venom? or is it complete done for once you're done with the extraction procress?

[kyreptilezoo]

@JayyThao The snake makes more venom all the time, so it is not used up after they are extracted from.

[Velocir1]

that is just cruel

[kyreptilezoo]

@Velocir1 Why is it cruel? You are right that the snake does not enjoy the process, but it is not injured at all. The venom is useful for research - this venom is particularly interesting for potential cancer treatments. 

[ToonandBBfan]

Is this snake cytotoxic as well as Neurotoxic?

Thanks

[kyreptilezoo]

@ToonandBBfan Mainly cytotoxic with very little neurotoxic.

[baroose67]

If you got spit on and had an open scratch or cut and got the poison on it is that dangerous to?

[kyreptilezoo]

Yep, it is actual venom that they 'spit' so you would be envenomated if it got in a cut, just like if you were bitten.

[64mermaid64]

@kyreptilezoo what is it just got on your skin and no cuts or nothing

[kyreptilezoo]

May get a rash if you have been exposed to many times before.

[64mermaid64]

@kyreptilezoo so what if this was the 1st time being hit with venom?

[kyreptilezoo]

@64mermaid64 You could still have a reaction. Some people will develop a rash on their first exposure.

[Sabot46290]

The handling skills are amazing. This video is a perfect example of how snakes really just want to get away safely rather than bite. Kudos to this guy, and props to doing it for research.

[gatorhunter92]

you have skills my man

[gatorhunter92]

Love the mamba in the background watching the milkning.

[buttersownsuall]

has anyone ever gone through their whole career of extracting venom and never received a bite?

[kyreptilezoo]

No one that we are aware of.

[likitty20]

can a Spitting Cobra bite you?

[kyreptilezoo]

Yes.

[VANGISTEREN]

4:02 LOL!

[NotoriousAlexx]

? nothing happened at 4:02

[kyreptilezoo]

No.

[saekkii]

Wow thats dangerous!! This man is a beast. How long does it take to learn how to handle the snakes so that you won't get bitten everytime? I guess the guy in the video has been bitten quite a many times?

[kyreptilezoo]

He's been extracting for 30+ years and has been bitten 4 times while extracting.

[RougeWaterPoloPlayer]

How do spitting cobras capture prey? Is the spitting purely defensive? What allow them to spit?

[kyreptilezoo]

Good questions! They capture prey by biting it and injecting venom- the spitting is defensive only. Fangs have a hole at the front instead of the bottom of the fang that allows venom to shoot out the front. Muscle contractions cause the venom to be expelled.

[gnarley123321]

i thought they had slightly curved fangs and stronger muscles to shoot out the venom. i was probably wrong tho

[kyreptilezoo]

Not really wrong- all snake fangs are somewhat curved. I don't know if they have larger muscles or not, but it would make sense that they do. They definitely have larger venom glands.

[gnarley123321]

ok thanks, i meant curved forwards tho

[kyreptilezoo]

No, not curved forwards. They all curve back.  Its more the position of the opening.

[Mercuerian]

Not bad kyreptilezoo. I nearly got bitten once by a subspecies called nigricincta in Namibia, I was kinda...yeah panicking

[whatswrongwithu2]

Are you talking about Zebra Spitters? Saw Mark o' Shea almost get blinded by one.

[Mercuerian]

Yeah Zebra Snake we called them

[critterfreek82]

The black mamba's watching his neighbor undergo "the procedure," lol.

[SamwiseOT]

What precautions do you take to try to prevent employees from developing an allergy to spitting cobra venom? Do you clean the walls of their cages frequently? Do you try to limit your venom extraction to the ones that spit the least?

Do albinos of a species have the same venom as the normally colored snakes?

[kyreptilezoo]

Wear full facemask and long sleeved shirts. Clean cages with bleach solution frequently(Once a weekend and spot clean daily.) No. Yes.

Thanks for the comments.

[EMG4Life]

this guy is chuck norris brave.

[MalikSucksAss]

Is that a mamba in the background?

[kyreptilezoo]

Black mamba.

[drewman1990x]

Oh, so you can't sell any of those baby Coastal Taipans?

[kyreptilezoo]

Sorry. No we are not allowed too.

[drewman1990x]

What do you have currently in the way of baby taipans, eastern brown snakes, mulgas, death adders and Collets snakes?

[kyreptilezoo]

Raising up some Oxyuranus s.scutellatus right now. Collets are breeding as we speak. Only breed when we have a venom project because it is illegal for us to sell venomous surplus. Our permits allow us to only trade with AZA or nonprofit zoo's. This limits some of our breeding .

[drewman1990x]

Where can you buy these types of Australian snakes? Can you get Tiger snakes here in the US?

[kyreptilezoo]

It is hard to obtain Australian venomous snakes in the USA. We get ours from other zoo's in trade or gift. Also we breed them here.

[drewman1990x]

Do you have any taipans, brown snakes, red bellied black snakes, tiger snakes or sea snakes?

[kyreptilezoo]

We have taipans, eastern brownsnake,mulga, death adders and Collets snakes.

[drewman1990x]

Touché. I admire your work. I love Steve Irwin, thats all. I think he has come far from nothing and has a great conservation method.

[kyreptilezoo]

Just apples to oranges. Different ways to look at things. Take care.

[drewman1990x]

Inland Taipans and Red Bellied Black Snakes are a little more dangerous that spitting cobras and Steve Irwin has been handling them all of his life and he's never been bitten. Can you say the same thing?

[kyreptilezoo]

I can say that Mr. Irwin did not provide venom for cancer researcher and handle 1000 venomous snakes a week. I work with Taipans and browns also. Come check out our zoo. Mr. Irwin was a TV performer . I am a researcher I don't need to show off. What you see is what you get. Also redbellied Black snakes are not that dangerous and more people die from Echis then any other snake. Thanks for the comment.

[reptilemad2007]

u should have done a steve irwin trick and hold it by the tail

[kyreptilezoo]

I don't do tricks . These are not cooled down staged animals. These Naja have a strong tissue damaging venom.

[SCherper]

my favorite spitters

[kyreptilezoo]

Give large venom yield and venom effects cancer cells. Neat animals.