Australian Reptile Park Breaks Taipan Venom Milking Record

The Australian Reptile Park said on January 11 it had broken a word record for extracting the most venom from a poisonous coastal snake, the taipan, in one milking.A keeper extracted 3.1027 grams of venom, which, according to the zoo, “is enough to kill over 100 humans and well above the average yield of 1.8 grams per milking”.“The taipan responsible for the record milking is known as Whiplash because he is one of our most dangerous snakes here at the Reptile Park and can be quite unpredictable,” keeper Daniel Rumsey said.While the taipan isn’t the world’s deadliest snake, it still has a nasty and poisonous bite.The venom was then sent to Melbourne, where it would be processed into anti-venom for humans. The zoo told Storyful that every year, at least 2,000 people are bitten by snakes in Austraila, and more than 300 receive anti-venom treatment. Credit: Australian Reptile Park via Storyful