Brazil milks deadly snakes for their life-saving venom

"Using a hooked stick, de Souza carefully lifts one of the slithering creatures out of its plastic box and maneuvers it into a drum of carbon dioxide.

Within minutes the reptile is asleep"


Seriously? Carbon Dioxide is used as an anesthesia? That doesn't mess them up?


https://www.yahoo.com/news/brazil-mi...020833689.html

I've never heard of anyone doing that? :confusd: I'm all for "less stress" on the snake being milked (as well as safety for humans) but this sounds like some snakes
might not wake up at all, or could suffer mental impairments, if this process takes too long.

What's everyone else think about this? I know that some snakes can hold their breath for quite a while (easily 10 minutes, some say longer), like when aquatic
species stay submerged while hunting, but of course they're not sleeping either & can come up at any time. So I'm a little suspicious that the article says they're
"asleep within minutes"? How many minutes? Are some species more susceptible than others?

Another thought- while it's more time consuming, carbon dioxide might be useful to consider using when euthanasia is needed? (instead of trying to inject a fully-
conscious snake in the heart...which is rather awful, if I do say)