Deadliest Job in America - Snake Milker!

- I think I only went to the bathroom in pants, a little bit. Holy shit, look at the size of that

snake

! Wow, the most dangerous job in America, right here, folks. Wow, that is a very, very strong

snake

. Oh! (animals growling) (dramatic music) - When it comes to creatures that humans fear, I always say there are the three big S's: sharks, spiders, and snakes. It is very unlikely that these animals will attack or bite you. However, unfortunate and accidental encounters do happen and in the worst case scenario, a single bite could put your life in danger.

Today we visited the Reptile Discovery Center, located in Deland, Florida. This serpentarium, owned and operated by Carl Barden, is home to dozens of the world's most dangerous snakes. Many of which are on display to educate the public. This location is also a medtoxin poison laboratory and it is the dangerous work going on behind the scenes that is saving human lives. Ohh, poisonous reptiles. Good morning, Carl. -Coyote, how are you? Welcome, thank you for coming. - Mara. - Good morning Coyote, welcome. - Thank you all very much for inviting me, this seems like the best snake milking system.

This process is incredibly important. You are milking these snakes to create an antidote. So tell us a little bit about this process and I would rank it as, unfortunately, the most dangerous job in the United States, right now. - But we never see it like that, we always think that it is practiced quite well. We do it so often that we handle between 50 and 100 snakes a day. Typically four or five days a week and probably most importantly, several of these poisons are produced for antivenoms, both here in North America and around the world. - So, let me say it again real quick.

You said 50 to 100 snakes a day, have you ever been bitten in the process of milking snakes? - Because accidents happen. - Yes, you know. We have about 500,000 venom extractions, from time to time, he zigs and you zag and everything goes wrong. So, I have had 11 snake bites in the last 27 years, only nine of them resulted in poisoning and actual hospital stays, two of those bites were dry. But you will see that the work here on the table is close work but really rehearsed and done very carefully and methodically. That's why we like to think that it can be done very safely. - So, the first snake that we are going to take out, you see, there are these enclosures behind me, now let me ask you this question real quick, how many snakes, in total, do you have? - We have about 1000 on site, at the moment, about 500 on the poison line. - Okay, the first snake we're going to see is the southern copperhead and oh, wow, oh my gosh, beautiful. - Wow! - and that's a great example of a southern copperhead.

This is as big as these guys can get and she really is a perfect example. That's a great policeman. - I was going to say that I've seen my fair share of copperheads. This is without a doubt the largest I have ever seen in my life. Wow! I'm going to turn, Mara, and let you get into position and we'll start the milking process, copperhead. Now, where would you rank the toxicity of copperhead venom, compared to that of a cottonmouth or diamondback, right? This isn't necessarily a bite that will kill you? - Not normally, not normally, copperhead poisons are not considered particularly toxic.

Copperhead venom is extremely hemolytic, so it bleeds and destroys blood cells and this sort of thing. And that's a lot of copperhead venom, something like 50 milligrams in one shot, maybe, a little bit more for her and it probably takes more than 100 milligrams of copperhead venom to kill someone. So it's not, generally, a lethal dose that you get with one bite. It's beautiful if you want to touch it, it's just a spectacular snake in every way. And we always think that that color, that pattern is simply unmatched. - Incredible, I mean, that venom comes out right there, you can hear the power of those fangs going into... the plastic cones there. - Yes, they bite.

A very decisive bite, a quick bite and therefore it is an easy snake. You can see why copperheads bite more people in the eastern United States than anything else. - Yeah, wow. - Okay, we'll bring her back, we'll lock her up. - Oh, that was fantastic and that's just our first snake. - Ready? - Alright, this is it, I'm going to help milk a water moccasin, as soon as I give the go-ahead to Carl, the snake will come out and it's up to me to make sure we have a good one. Gently press the body to that Carl doesn't get bitten in the process of what this is.

Alright, Carl, are you ready? - I'm ready. - Okay, here we go. Take out the viper. - Okay, again, an average-sized species of snake. Perfect condition and this is really typical of our local cottonmouth. This guy is a Volusia County snake, he was caught here when he was a baby. These guys are really prolific and are common in some of the woods around Deland. Alright, come on, we'll get this guy. I'm going to do the same type of sweep here, come in with your press. Well, beautiful, you have it, you are excellent, I have it. You can pick it up, you're safe, fine.

Put down the press, get that body, excellent Coyote. - Make sure you have your hand covering that vent. - Are you going to get musky? Well. - Very good very good. Let's see if she gives us a chance here. There she goes. -Oh yeah, she looks at that. You can feel the power all over your body when they bite like that. - There she goes again. - Holy Mackerel. - That's good, perfect. Very well, we will return it to her cage, there you have it, excellent Coyote. - Oh, my hands are shaking. - You did it. - I was in contact with snakes in Australia when we milked those species, but I didn't necessarily have that pressure of having to gently hold the body.

But any time you're that close to one of these animals, I mean, even a small margin of error can go catastrophically wrong and from the performance of the venom that you see, that came out of that snake, it's just incredible. It's just a bite from one of these snakes. - Yes, it was excellent. - I feel, I feel all that adrenaline rushing through me, that's a snake and I wasn't even holding the snake by the head. So I can only imagine you doing this for a couple of hours straight, snake after snake after snake. And if you thought the water moccasin was awesome, now we're bringing out the eastern diamondback.

Which is possibly the most dangerous viper in the United States, based on its venom production. I have a feeling this is going to be intense. Wow, that's a great Eastern Diamondback. I think I went to the bathroom a little bit in pants. Holy shit, look at the size of that snake! Wow! That might be the biggest Eastern Diamondback I've ever seen, wow! Okay, now one of the key elements. - Don't get any closer than you are now. - Okay, yes, I know, I see that she, I'm going to go like this and talk like this to the side, just in case.

She's in that classic S attack pose, now what makes these snakes so dynamic is that heat sensing pit in the front of their faces. So right now, she's looking at me and sees a heat signature that's definitely too big for prey, which means I'm probably a predator. I'm a threat right now and like Carl said, I don't want to get any closer because as you can see, they attack incredibly fast. And that attack happened so quickly that if you get bitten by a snake this size, it has the potential to kill you. - No doubt about it.

The bite of an adult rattlesnake is potentially fatal, no doubt about it. - Now, when it comes to Eastern Diamondback versus Western Diamondback, which do you think is more dangerous, Carl? You can see she's getting nervous. - I think both, I'm just going to move it a little on the table. I think both snakes are probably equally dangerous. The venom of the eastern diamondback is probably a little more toxic, but only a little. And in terms of quantity and size, both types are very serious rattlesnakes. So, I think you're probably just as in danger. All alright?

I'm going to go ahead and catch him. - Yes, it's time, here we go guys, we'll do it now. - Are you okay, Carl? - I have to move it, I lifted it. - Take a step back here. - There is no pressure yet. - The most dangerous job in the United States, here friends. - Now it takes a little while to keep it on the table. - I'm going to move it a little. - And leaving. - Carl, you are incredible, the concentration it takes to do what this is. - Don't change anything, you're fine, calm down. - Okay, okay, I've got the back.

Wow, that is a very, very strong snake. Incredible muscle power without the body. Okay, are you guys okay? Wow, that was a great poison performance! My God! - And that's really what makes the eastern diamondback so potentially dangerous. It's that ability to really build it up, when necessary. - Look at those fangs and oh, I actually see that he has a double set of fangs, which means he's getting ready to get rid of one of those fangs, right? - That's exactly right, that's exactly right. - Do you want me to remove that fang? - Yes. - Yes. - Wow, look at that, okay guys.

Get as close as you can to get a photo of those fangs. You can see nature hooked. If you get bitten by one of these snakes, it will be a very, very bad day. A bite from this viper will definitely kill you if you do not receive antivenom treatment. Okay, is it okay to let go of the tail? - Well, I'll pass. - Okay, back in. - Very good Coyote, excellent. - That, that was intense! - Just needing to control a snake that size on a table like that is a challenge. Wow, Carl, that was awesome, my friend, holy shit.

It's important to note that this venom will be used to create an antivenom that will eventually save lives, so the job Carl and Mara are doing here, every day, is saving anyone who accidentally encounters one of these snakes. and got bitten. Carl, I'm going to give you a very dangerous handshake to thank you for inviting us here today behind the scenes in the lab, to milk snakes. This was amazing. I'm sure one question you all have about venom is: what exactly happens when snake venom enters the human body and reacts with your blood? Stay tuned guys because that episode is next.

I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave, stay wild, see you on the next adventure. Alright Carl, I'm going to hand this to you so I don't drop it, that was crazy. Amazing work, oh my god I'm so excited. Being bitten by an animal is one of the worst experiences most people can imagine. However, no matter how careful you are, accidents can and do happen every year. In the United States, it is accurate to say that Carl and Mara are literally putting their own lives at risk to ensure that anyone bitten by a venomous snake has a chance to survive.

If you would like to visit the Reptile Discovery Center or learn more about their Medtoxin Venom Laboratories, be sure to visit the website. Schedule your opportunity to see these snakes in action. Hey Coyote Pack, if you can't wait to see the exciting conclusion, where we see how human blood compares to viper venom, you can join Memberships right now and watch the episode before anyone else. Be sure to subscribe and click the notification bell so you can follow me and the team on our next wild adventure. (animals growling)