Thailand Post has introduced ‘Venom Express Thailand’, a pilot project in Chanthaburi province to transport venomous snakes to the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute’s Snake Farm for use in antivenom production.
The project is a collaboration between Thailand Post and the Snake Farm, which operates under the Thai Red Cross Society, to establish a safe and systematic way of transporting venomous snakes from different parts of the country to the institute.
The pilot project will initially operate through the Na Yai Am post office in Chanthaburi, where venomous snakes will be handed over by trained volunteers or rescue teams.
The volunteers and rescue workers must be trained in snake-catching techniques and obtain a permit from the institute before sending the snakes.
The snakes undergo a special preparation process before they enter the postal system.
Thanapong Tawan, a medical scientist at the Snake Farm, said each snake is placed in an air-permeable cloth bag, which is then secured with two cable ties.
The bag is placed inside a specially designed wooden box that can hold one or two bags, depending on the species and size of the snake. The box is then secured with a dedicated combination lock and handed over to Thailand Post officials.
Postal workers do not handle the snakes directly. They receive only the sealed safety box, which carries warning symbols to alert staff that special safety measures are required.
The box is transported through Thailand Post’s network to the Bangkok Express Mail Centre before being sent to the institute. Shipments can be tracked in real time around the clock, allowing their routes to be monitored from the point of origin to the destination.
Dhanant Subhadrabandhu, president and CEO of Thailand Post, said that Thailand Post was using its nationwide network to support the medical mission while ensuring that the transportation of live venomous animals met the required safety standards.
Once the snakes arrive at the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute, they undergo health checks and are kept separately in a standardised closed system before entering the venom extraction process.
The fresh venom is then used as a raw material in the production of antivenom to treat people bitten by venomous snakes.
Prof Dr Suttipong Wacharasindhu, director of the institute, said one of the key challenges in producing antivenom was obtaining venom from different species and geographical areas. The geographical source of the venom is important because the composition of venom from the same species can vary between regions, he said.
Having venom from different areas therefore helps the institute develop and produce antivenom suitable for treating snakebites in different parts of the country.
Dr Taksa Vasaruchapong, chief of the Snake Farm, said the institute currently had sufficient antivenom for production.
Establishing an efficient system for collecting and transporting venomous snakes would, however, help prevent shortages of raw materials in the future, he said.
The institute requires fresh venom from different venomous snake species as a key raw material for antivenom production. Previously, snakes were brought to the institute either by local snake collectors or by institute staff travelling to different areas to collect them.
Both methods have limitations, including a decline in the number of snake collectors and difficulties in reaching some areas.
The new postal system is intended to address this gap by connecting venomous snakes caught in different parts of the country with the Snake Farm in a more systematic way.
Thailand Post plans to expand the number of areas from which venomous snakes can be sent in the future.
The cooperation may also be expanded to research and develop antivenom for additional snake species that are not currently covered by Thailand’s antivenom production system.
The project is therefore intended not simply to transport venomous snakes, but to establish a nationwide link between snake-catching networks, logistics and the public health system.
