Zoo provides antivenin for man bitten by pet green mamba snake

[Bogertophis]

Owning venomous is "play stupid games, win stupid prizes." I would think medical expenses alone would repel people from owning them as pets. I went to a reptile show and there were several tables of venomous snakes including rattle snakes for sale in taped up cake containers. Owning them requires a permit but I think those people are crazy. I'm surprised, or not surprised, that the owner didn't have anti venom on hand.

I rescued & worked with rattlesnakes (relocating those I could & doing educational programs for conservation with those I couldn't release) for some 20 years. I didn't get into that "wanting a venomous snake" ever- it was a local issue where they got into people's yards & even houses, & got killed for it, but since many bites happen when inexperienced people try to catch or kill them, it's better when it's someone with snake experience who deals with them. I was self-taught, btw, & my assistance was free. It wasn't about catching & keeping things either, as some do. I even had the blessings of Fish & Game.

There is a VAST difference between keeping a native "hot" and an exotic (from another country). Our local hospitals are fairly well prepared for the occasional venomous bite from native species, but not so for the exotic ones. And if I was a professional zoo-keeper (a profession I once considered) I'd be plenty ticked off that some jerk with an exotic "hot" was using up the anti-venin that was my occupational "safety net", should an accidental bite happen at the wrong time. There is NO good reason for a private citizen to keep such snakes, especially since virtually none of them can afford to pay for the consequences of their mistakes. And most people want them for the wrong reasons anyway. I didn't like rattlesnakes because they're venomous, but in spite of the fact.

FYI- when I kept rattlesnakes, I didn't keep anti-venin on hand either, for several reasons:
1. local hospitals had it
2. it's expensive, hard to get, & might expire while just sitting around
3. And the biggest reason is that you NEVER administer it at home! You can die from a "surprise" anaphylactic reaction, even if you had no previous issues. You need to be IN the hospital when it's administered.