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As a photographer, I had a chance to shoot photos in a venom lab. The gentleman in charge of this operation had survived several serious bites (Cape cobra, king cobra, a couple of viper bites). He stated that he might handle 150-200 snakes a DAY in doing venom extractions, since any attempt to force venom from the snakes would proven to cause not only damage but also altered the way the venom was composed (the venom is mixed from a couple of different sources in the gland as the snake strikes). Therefore, it would require that much work just to get a couple of grams of dried venom. Anyway, he and I both agreed that the 13-foot black mamba did not need to be removed for photos; we did run one shot of him in front of its cage when the story ran in REPTILES magazine. By far, it was the most treacherous animal in his 1000-plus assortment.

The antivenin is a real problem. For non-native snakes, it is classified as an experimental drug since it has not passed FDA muster; importing it is a nightmare. The shelf life is only a couple of years. At upwards of $1000.00 a vial, and a major bite requiring as much as 30 vials, and the fact that no doctor in his right mind will administer an expired experminental drug, most ‘hot’ hobbyists will take their chances. Many zoos have dropped their more exotic venomous species for the same reason.

BTW, if that mamba was loose in a big city in southern Ohio, that story has been around for a while. Luckily, no one got hurt. If you own one, live in the US without antivenin, and get bitten by it, you are in BIG trouble healthwise....

No, the mamba was loose in my friends house in Virginia many years ago. He used to be in the reptile sales business. Now, he breeds dogs....much safer!

Check out this site for a great story about Jack Seale and his Snake and Animal Park outside Johannesburg, South Africa.

Jack twice lived for weeks at his animal park in a small room with black mambas and other snakes.

www.nwf.org/internationalwildlife/mamba.html