I think keepers of hot reptiles should consider the cost of antivenin to be a basic cost requirement of keeping hots. We all know accidents can happen, even to the best keepers, but these high-profile accidents put all of us at risk of losing our reptiles (not just the venomous species, either). Anything that can be done to minimize the risk and to demonstrate that reptile keepers are responsible individuals should be done. Not having antivenin on hand for a snake you keep in your home is not responsible. Relying on the zoo to give up theirs is not responsible and will not make the zoo a friend of private herp keepers. We could even all be at risk for losing homeowners insurance because we keep herps if insurance companies take note of the media coverage of one of these unfortunate accidents. (This has already happened to people who own certain breeds of dogs that insurance companies deem dangerous, such as Siberian Huskys and St. Bernards!)

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