CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY (Taipei, Taiwan) 19 February 06 Taiwan's Snake Serum Well-Known Throughout World (Maubo Chang)
Taipei (CNA): Although few in Taiwan are aware of it, the island is known around the world as a vital supplier of a snake serum known as antivenin, used in the treatment of poisonous snake bites, an official from the Department of Health's Snake Serum Producing Center said Sunday.
The center's director, Miao Po-ling, said the quality of the center's serum was demonstrated by regular orders coming in from the United States, Germany and Italy.
The serum is frequently sought overseas because Taiwan is home to several poisonous snakes, which are often unique to the island.
Some serpents specific to Taiwan include a cobra known as the spoon snake, the banded krait snake, the chain snake, the conehead snake, a type of rattlesnake and the red-tail loach.
All are endangered species and protected by law except for the red-tail loach. Over 70 poisonous snakes are kept at the center for the collection of venom, a process regulated and monitored by the Council of Agriculture.
The center's veterinarians gather venom once a month from the snakes, which are maintained in an air-conditioned, comfortable and healthy habitat.
Creating antivenin involves injecting a horse with a small amount of the venom and extracting blood containing antibodies that can fight the poison.
Taiwan's Snake Serum Well-Known Throughout World