For people like Feng Yi and Tang Kui who catch and raise snakes, the cobras in these farms are certainly not ferocious, but for ordinary people, just hearing the name can make them run two miles away, let alone patting its head!
And these are all with fangs! The venom glands have not been removed!
If Mo Xiaoguang was alone, he would definitely run away when he saw the cobra.
Tang Kui asked Feng Yi: "Brother Yi, have you ever seen a wild Zhoushan cobra?"
He followed Mo Xiaoguang and called out, "Brother Yi" seemed more intimate, while the title "Wind Expert" was too polite and felt distant.
It's rare to meet someone of similar age with whom you can have common topics, and a professional with real skills! Tang Kui was very excited and talked more than usual.
Feng Yi: “Yeah, I caught him when I was on a scientific expedition with the team.” He also teased him.
Tang Kui: "How do the ones in my farm compare to the wild ones?"
Feng Yi: "This snake is really fat."
Tang Kui laughed and said, "Of course! They don't have to worry about food and drink. They eat when they are hungry, and after eating, they find a place to sleep! And..."
As he spoke, Tang Kui patted the back of another snake's head.
"The reaction speed of farmed snakes cannot be compared with that of wild ones, and they are not very murderous when angry. When I was in high school, I signed up to volunteer for a scientific expedition team. I was a minor at the time, so there were restrictions on the areas I could enter. Fortunately, I encountered a cobra, but I was almost bitten when I tried to catch it..."
Tang Kui led them out of the room, closed the door, and talked jokingly about the time they encountered a snake in the wild.
Feng Yi also thought of the time when he and his team went into the mountains for scientific research. Someone in the team failed to catch a Zhoushan cobra and was taken to the hospital. He turned to Mo Xiaoguang and said:
"Zhoushan cobras are still very dangerous. Don't imitate Tang Kui's behavior. Stay as far away from wild cobras as possible."
Mo Xiaoguang: “Of course!”
You don’t have to tell me that!
Not to mention the snakes in the wild, just these farmed ones that you call "non-ferocious" make me want to run away on a roller coaster!
As a start-up entrepreneur, Tang Kui is very ambitious: "Now I only raise Zhoushan cobras in my farm, but I plan to start breeding five-step snakes next. The market for five-step snakes is very good."
Mo Xiaoguang was puzzled. As a person who usually doesn't pay attention to snakes, he always hears people bragging about cobras. Some people change their nicknames, name their movies and TV series, design icons and images, etc., all of which will include cobra elements. Although the five-step snake has a very arrogant name, it is rarely mentioned and is not common in daily life.
"I think cobras are more powerful. Why don't you start with something simpler when you start your business? Raise five-step snakes first and then cobras?"
Tang Kui paused, then smiled faintly and said, "The five-step snake is not simple and not easy to raise. If it refuses to eat, it will have to be fed artificially."
"Oh, it sounds like he has a bad temper." Mo Xiaoguang looked as if he understood what he heard. "So which one is more poisonous, the five-step snake or the cobra?"
Tang Kui: "In terms of toxicity alone, referring to the LD50 value, the Zhoushan cobra is more toxic. But the amount of venom excreted by the five-step snake is greater than that of the Zhoushan one.
"However, some cobras also have a relatively large amount of venom, such as the king cobra. They are large in size, have a large venom output, and are very ferocious. If it was a king cobra, I wouldn't have dared to get so close to it and lift the quilt just now!"
Tang Kui and Mo Xiaoguang had no more time to talk about topics like this, so he continued to exchange experiences with Feng Yi.
"In the wild, I think the five-step snake is more dangerous than the Zhoushan snake, at least to me. Brother Yi, have you ever seen a five-step snake in the wild?"
Feng Yi thought about it and said, "I have seen one. It was quite big. It was caught in the cracks of rocks by the stream. It was caught by another expert in the team."
Tang Kui scratched his head. "I just think the five-step snake is too vicious. It looks like that, and you can't even find it in the grass. It's the kind of snake that can't be startled by the grass! Although many pit vipers will shake their tails, whether you can see it or not is another matter. I used to hit the weeds with a stick for a long time but didn't see any movement. Then I took a step forward and was bitten! That's too scary!"
Tang Kui smiled and continued to discuss with Feng Yi the techniques of catching the five-step snake.
Mo Xiaoguang who was standing nearby thought to himself: Haha, people like you who say "very dangerous" with a smile are really scary!
Tang Kui was not only talking to Feng Yi, but also noticed Mo Xiaoguang's fear of snakes and his restlessness, so he comforted him, "Don't be afraid, there is anti-cobra venom serum here."
Mo Xiaoguang: “…Oh.”
Although I know that there is hope if I'm bitten, I still feel very weird when I hear this. I always feel like I could be bitten by a snake at any time.
"Can I have a bottle of this serum? It's not for free, I'll buy it! And if there are any other snake ones, I'll have one too!" said Mo Xiaoguang.
I'm going out fishing later, what if a snake escapes from this place? Or what if a wild snake breaks in
Of course it’s better if you don’t need it, but it makes you feel safe to carry it with you!
Tang Kui said helplessly: "Other anti-snake venom serums are available in my big place, not far from here. If you are really bitten, you can get timely treatment. There are professional freezers there for storage. Anti-snake venom serums have certain storage conditions."
The production and storage costs of anti-snake venom serum are not low, but for Tang Kui's farm, anti-snake venom serum is a must. They always have serum on hand for all the venomous snakes they raise.
Mo Xiaoguang was very disappointed when he heard that there were requirements for storage: "Is that so."
Tang Kui: "When there is no anti-snake venom serum, there are other ways to deal with it. Brother Yi should also know that scientific expedition teams rarely carry serum with them."
Mo Xiaoguang looked at Feng Yi.
Feng Yi nodded: "Yes. Someone was bitten at the time, and the team used the contents of the medical kit for first aid directly, without bringing any serum."
Mo Xiaoguang said to Tang Kui again: "Then help me get a first aid kit and I'll pay for it!"
This is not a big deal. There are spare medicines and tools. Tang Kui did not refuse. "Okay, I will prepare them for you later. If you encounter a snake, stay away from it if you are not bitten. If you are bitten by accident, do first aid and go to the hospital for treatment. If you don't know what kind of snake it is, take a picture so that the doctor knows what kind of snake venom it is. Anti-snake venom serum is specific. Snake venoms from different families may not be able to neutralize the toxin. It is better to use medicine if you know what kind of snake bit you."
Seeing that Mo Xiaoguang's smile was forced and his face was pale, Tang Kui changed the subject and said something that Mo Xiaoguang might be interested in.
"Snake venom is dangerous, but it's also valuable. Liquid gold is not a lie."
Mo Xiaoguang suddenly became confused when he heard this. "Is it really that expensive?"
Feng Yi also prepared to take notes.
Tang Kui led them to another building:
"It's expensive. Snake venom has always been expensive. My grandfather and his generation all believed that snakes were valuable, and snake venom was one of them. At that time, the urban area was not large, and the village was located in the mountains far away from the town. There were many snakes, and there was no animal protection. Some villagers would catch poisonous snakes when they encountered them in the mountains and soak them in wine. Some people even liked to mix snake venom with wine."
Mo Xiaoguang got goosebumps and said, "Snake venom mixed with wine... can I drink it?"
Tang Kui: "Yes, take the venom, pour it into the wine, shake it, and drink it. I heard that there are people abroad who inject themselves with snake venom to stay young!"
Mo Xiaoguang began to have some ideas.
Tang Kui continued: "The health benefits of snake venom mixed with wine are unknown, and there is no sufficient scientific basis. In fact, it seems very dangerous now, and I dare not imitate it. Snake venom is basically protein. Theoretically, it can be digested directly into the stomach and will not cause poisoning if it does not come into contact with the blood circulation. In addition, strong alcohol can denature and inactivate proteins and remove toxicity. However, there is also the theory of protein renaturation."
Mo Xiaoguang asked tentatively: "What if the snake venom in the wine has not completely lost its toxicity, and I have a mouth ulcer, if I drink a sip, will there be any major reactions?"
Tang Kui: “No big reaction.”
Mo Xiaoguang was eager to try: "That's not bad..."
Tang Kui: "It's just a spiral ascension."
Mo Xiaoguang: “…”
Mo Xiaoguang deleted the snake venom wine in his mind. He originally wanted to use it to show off, but he decided not to.
Tang Kui: "Snake venom is expensive. Some of it is used to make anti-snake venom serum to treat bites. In addition, it has other great medical values, such as anticoagulant, analgesic, and fibrinolytic.
"For example, snake venom peptides and venom-like peptides are derived from snake venom. They simulate certain effective fragments in snake venom and then are used for anti-wrinkle through artificial synthesis. Many well-known cosmetics companies have used them, but they do not necessarily label them with the word snake venom, which has a bad influence and is easy to cause misunderstandings. Most of them use the chemical name directly. In fact, early research and development are all related to snake venom."
The three of them walked into another building. Tang Kui said with a bit of a show-off attitude: "This is my workshop. The left side is the office area, and the right side is the operation area."
Feng Yi observed and found that Tang Kui only brought them into the office area and did not let them pass to the operation area. The two areas were separated by transparent glass, so they could see the layout over there.
The operating area is not large, but it has operating tables and machines, and you can also see a device for extracting snake venom.
Feng Yi swept his eyes across the machines, and then looked at the printed journal articles on the desk in the office area.
Some are in pure foreign languages.
There are also many books on the bookshelf, some related to breeding and some related to biological theory.
Mo Xiaoguang was surprised: "You guys need to look at these when raising animals?"
Tang Kui spread his hands and said, "You need to learn more about the latest cutting-edge research trends. They will also cause fluctuations in snake venom prices."
Mo Xiaoguang was curious: "Is the snake you raise expensive?"
Tang Kui smiled and said, "The price is lower than that of the five-step snake. In fact, it was even lower before. However, in recent years, there are many teams testing new drugs, the demand is high, and there are not many legal breeding farms, so the price has risen and it is easy to sell."
Nowadays, the number of snakes in the wild has decreased, and there are strict protection laws to limit their capture, and it is difficult to obtain a license for breeding. Most snake venom is supplied by breeding farms. In recent years, the demand has increased due to the stimulation of new drugs, so these breeding farms have become very busy.
Mo Xiaoguang: "So generally speaking, the price of snake venom here is not expensive?"
Tang Kui said calmly: "Well, it's only a little more expensive than gold."
Mo Xiaoguang: “…”
Tang Kui: "It's not really expensive. My parents have several very expensive venomous snakes, which they raise in cooperation with other scientific research teams. Those with higher medical value are more expensive. One gram of dried snake venom powder costs tens of thousands."
Feng Yi looked at the operation area and asked, "Do you take the poison yourself?"
Tang Kui replied: "There are a few employees in the field, but as long as there is nothing else, I will extract the snake venom myself. Improper extraction of venom can cause great harm to the snake."
"And then process it in the operating area?"
"Yes, it is simply processed into snake venom powder, which can be stored for a longer time. What we sell is crude venom. After the pharmaceutical factory experimental team or university research team purchases it, they will purify it to different degrees according to their needs."
Feng Yi took note of it secretly.
If he wanted to raise snakes, he would not raise many at the beginning, just a small scale like Tang Kui. Without breeding experience, he did not know whether instinct was reliable.
The venom only needs to be crude, and he also needs to buy a drying machine. The models used in Tang Kui's operation area should be enough.
By the way, you also need to apply for a license and find a place to build the site.
"Are snakes easy to raise?" Feng Yi continued to take notes.
Tang Kui thought for a moment, "Actually, now that I'm familiar with it and have enough experience, it's okay. During the process of raising them, I have to pay attention to weather changes, pay attention to parasitic diseases, see if they molt smoothly, and see if they refuse to eat. I have to clean, disinfect, and scoop up their poop. Don't think that cold-blooded animals don't need to scoop up their poop, they still need to do it the same way! And..."
Tang Kui said a lot of things.
As Feng Yi listened, he put down the little notebook in his mind again.
Take a deep breath.
Forget it, let’s just take care of myself first.
Why are you raising a snake when you don’t even know how to raise it!
Feng Yi himself knows what supports the character of "expert".
Catching snakes relies on instinct, but when it comes to raising snakes, instinct is unlikely to help.
So, let’s not bother with those things.
He licked the two fangs in his mouth.
Can these two make money