The school trip that changed everything “My interest [in snakes] probably started when I was 3 or 4,” says Van Horn, who grew up in Miami “When I was 6 my mom enlisted me in the Cub Scouts We took a trip to old Miami Serpentarium I didn’t know it was possible to work with snakes all day Then I found out venom and science « He was addicted
Mom, can I keep it? “I spent a lot of time in the Everglades and kept bringing things home My mom came home from work and found an alligator in the tub Her only rule was: no poisonous snakes in the house I broke that rule when I was probably 13, ”he says, remembering the pygmy rattlesnake that sent his mother over the edge
His partner in slime He met his wife, Rosa, on a snake hunting trip in Costa Rica After founding Reptile World Serpentarium in St Cloud in 1972, he trained her to help him take caring for and milking – or extracting the venom – from snakes « She is the best at making snakes happy and making them reproduce »
Income sss-teady sss-tream The sale of venom « has been our main customer for 48 years We have been working with university researchers and pharmaceutical companies » Fortunately, Van Horn gets a price reduction on the antivenom obtained, which it always keeps on hand in case of a bite
Near-Fatal Fangs In 1997, Van Horn’s failure to heed his wife’s warning about handling a king cobra nearly cost him his life « This snake was my best producer of venom, and it bit me four times before bringing it down » Van Horn spent 33 days in the hospital and his left arm never fully recovered « I listen to Rosa intensely now «
It’s just a wound to the flesh Van Horn was working with a western diamond-backed rattlesnake when he « rolled over and had a fang in my index finger joint. I thought, « How bad can this be? » So I didn’t do anything about it « A few months later when I was working on a construction project, » I was hammering and the tip of my finger flew off The finger started to squirt blood The bone and much of the tissue was dead The carpenters thought it was the best thing they had ever seen «
For some it’s a few hundred too many Van Horn keeps « somewhere between 600 and 700 » snakes at his « I usually have between 400 and 500 snakes » attraction working on the venom line
Doubly lethal After 14 poisonous bites, « I’m allergic to all the venom » He keeps an epinephrine syringe handy in case « I even get a gash from any snake here »
There are pets, then there are snakes « Snakes are very interesting to keep, but they are not pets For me, a pet is an animal that is happy to see you when you come home from work Snakes don’t care They are not affectionate « , although » they can give that impression «
Wise Advice Florida is home to six species of poisonous snakes « I tell people if you have some kind of poisonous snake bite, don’t play with it Go to the emergency room »
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Snake
World News – UA – A Herpetologist’s Story – Orlando Magazine
