Snake Farm

This guide to the Snake Farm in Bangkok opens in 1923, when French doctor Leopold Robert found that European antivenoms did nothing against Thailand's native snakes and decided to build his own supply. It follows the founding of the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute, named for Rama VI's mother, and the careful process handlers still use to draw venom from cobras, kraits, and vipers. You'll hear how that venom becomes the antivenom treating thousands of snakebite cases a year. Watch the handling area for a live extraction while you listen.