Kids’ Corner:

Bangkok Snake Farm

Did you know that in captivity, some species of snakes can live to over 170 years? So if you adopt a snake, make sure to warn your descendants that they will inherit it when you die! In this essay, I will talk about some of the snakes in Thailand, its most dangerous as well as most common snakes, and tell you about a local snake farm that we visited in Bangkok, Thailand.

Thailand is home to more than 200 species of snakes, ranging from deadly ones like the King Cobra to the harmless ones like the common Rat Snake. But of all the snakes in Thailand, only about 40 are poisonous. These snakes include the Monocled Cobra, Siamese Spitting Cobra, Russells Siamese Viper, Malayan Krait, and the Spotted Coral Snake. Sadly, most of the snakes in Thailand are non-venomous,including the Golden Tree Snake, the Oriental Whip Snake, and the Kuri Snake, which is very aggressive but non-venomous.

The most common snake in the world is the Garter Snake, found all across North America. Some of the most dangerous snakes, however, include the King Cobra, the Fer-De-Lance Snake, and the Inland Taipan. The most dangerous snake in the world is the Black Mamba, which can kill an adult human in less than 30 minutes. The Black Mamba is found all across Africa, and grows to an average length of 8.2 feet, getting as long as 14 feet in some cases. Also, without antivenom, fatality is 100 percent if you get bitten by the Black Mamba.

Speaking of snake bite fatalities, did you know that every year about 10,000 people die from snake bites? Luckily for you, if you are bitten in Thailand, you will probably survive, since there is a good supply of antivenom. For the last 90 years, the Queen Saovabha Snake Farm has been researching snakes and creating antivenom for deadly snake bites.

Since 1929, they have been educating the public through their snake exhibit, their museum, and a very entertaining snake show that includes snake handlers demonstrating  the King Cobra, the Monocled Cobra, and the Yellow-Banded Krait, all on which are on the list of the 50 most dangerous snakes. My favorite part of the show was at the end, when we got to hold a Burmese python, which was about 5 yards long (about 15 feet).

In conclusion, I’m glad that I got to spend some time with snakes in Thailand and got to see the amazing snake farm, which I highly recommend to anybody visiting Bangkok.

Bibliography

http://www.saovabha.com/en/snakefarm_service.asp

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dangerous_snakes

https://www.livescience.com/34443-deadliest-snakes-most-venomous-snakes.html