Snake farm (original) (raw)

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Collection of venom from a snake

A snake farm is a facility that houses and breeds a wide variety of snakes, often for the purpose of research and the collection of venom for the creation of antivenom. Many snake farms are primarily tourist attractions. Notable snake farms exist in the United States, Thailand, China, Brazil, France, Germany, Costa Rica, and Russia.

In the United States

Live snakes are supplied to upscale Chinese restaurants

Zisiqiao (子思桥) Village, in Xinshi Town, Deqing County, Zhejiang, Zhejiang. Nicknamed "Snake Village" by the media, Zisiqiao is renowned as China's premier center of snake farming. The locals have been raising snakes since the 1980s; currently, about 800 people in Zisiqiao work in snake farming industry, raising some 3 million snakes a year. Live snakes are supplied to specialty restaurants; dried or preserved in alcohol, they are sold to manufacturers of traditional Chinese medicines; snake-infused wine is made as well.[1][2]
Deqing Snake Culture Museum has been developed as a local tourist attraction.[1][3]
Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute (Thailand)
Siberian Serpentarium

^ a b China's 'Snake Village' seeks New Year riches, AFP, 2013-02-10
^ 世界第一蛇村：800人与300万条蛇的神奇生活 ("World's No. 1 Snake Village: mysterious life of 800 people and over 3 million snakes"), travel.sina.com.cn, 2010-10-21
^ 蛇文化博物馆可以让你看得“头皮发麻” (Snake Culture Museum will make your hair stand on end), 2012-05-07