The Australian Reptile Park has broken the record for the most coastal taipan raw venom from a single yield.
The Park’s taipan, Whiplash, broke its own record, yielding enough venom from a single milking to kill 100 people.
The venom will go towards the Park’s lifesaving antivenom program which saves over 300 Australian lives every year.
Operations Manager, Scott Ryan, said taipans are one of the world’s most deadly snakes
“Whiplash is one of our most dangerous snakes here at the park and is known for being quite unpredictable and keeping us all on our toes,” Ryan said.
“Especially as we all know what he is capable of with his continuously large venom yields.
“The average yield for park’s taipan milking program is 1.8 grams per milking, but our Venom Supervisor Zac Bower was able to extract over 3.32 grams of venom from Whiplash in just one milking.”
Bower said venom keepers have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, requiring confidence, nerves of steel and a lot of experience.
“Coastal taipans are one of the most venomous snakes in the world, ranking number three on the list,” he said.
“They are known worldwide for their aggression and bites have caused fatalities every year.
“We are the only facility in Australia that milks taipans for the production of antivenom so Whiplash’s record-breaking contribution will go towards saving someone’s life.”
The Australian Reptile Park houses over 250 of the world’s most venomous snakes, which are milked fortnightly, including taipans, brown snakes, tiger snakes, death adders and black snakes.
Every year there are 2,000 reported snake bites in Australia, with over 300 receiving antivenom.
“The process of milking a venomous snake requires keepers to secure the 3-metre long deadly snake, sink its fangs into a large shot glass covered with plastic and get it to deliver its lethal bite,” Bower said.
“The venom is then freeze-dried to remove all moisture and delivered to Seqiris in Melbourne to produce the antivenom.”
He said taipans are essential within Australia’s ecosystem, as are all venomous snakes, as they keep other animals like rodents, amphibians, and smaller reptile species in check and maintaining balance.
Source:
Media release, Jun 6
Australian Reptile Park