`Underground Zoos' Deal In Snakes And Venom -- Money, Fascination With Reptiles Keeps Some Involved Despite Laws And Danger Of Death

In the basement of his home, Kevin Lee Stotler was trying to milk his Indian cobra by maneuvering its razor-sharp fangs through a rubber sheath on a plastic vial - the way he had done hundreds of times before. This time the snake wriggled loose. The cobra sunk a fang into Stotler's pinkie, injecting lethal venom.

The poison pulsed through Kevin Stotler's veins. Soon, he had no feeling in his arms or legs. He could hardly breathe. At the hospital, a nurse had to hold open his paralyzed eyelids so he could sign paperwork allowing authorities to take away his 10 venomous snakes. He was on a gurney wondering if he would live, unsure if doctors would find the needed antivenin.

The recent cobra attack was the sixth time that Stotler, who lives in Triangle, Va., about 45 miles south of Washington, D.C., had been bitten by a venomous snake. He was hospitalized two years ago for a life-threatening bite, and on the other occasions weathered the symptoms at home. But despite the constant danger posed by his hobby, and a county ordinance forbidding it, Stotler has repeatedly returned to his basement to milk and breed deadly snakes.

An international market

Stotler, 29, a computer maintenance worker, is one of hundreds of breeders across the country who fuel an international market that specialists describe as an "underground zoo," where rare poisonous snakes are bought and sold as pets and mates for other snakes. Milking snakes for venom is a riskier endeavor pursued by fewer people, specialists said.

In 1996, there were 24 reports to poison centers of moderate to life-threatening bites from exotic, venomous snakes.

Many bites involved snakes kept in homes. In 1992, an Emmitsburg, Md., man died after he was bitten by a pet Indian cobra.

Stotler's involvement in this business helps illustrate what leads breeders and milkers to ply their trade even after suffering life-threatening bites. Stotler said his case should also serve as a warning.

"This is a horror story," said Stotler, a lanky man with a goatee and a cobra tattooed on his left arm. "If someone had come to me years ago and told me their horror story, I might have gotten out of it. I might have listened to reason."

Money is a primary lure

Stotler did it partially for money - a factor that often drives people to get into the exotic-snake business, animal-control officials say. Poisonous snakes can sell for hundreds of dollars apiece, depending on the breed. And milking the venom can net $45 to $6,000 per gram. Venom is studied for potential medicinal uses and used to make antivenin.

Stotler and some others in the field share a fascination with snakes and a desire to control an animal that terrifies many people.

"The adrenaline situation of me catching something that potentially could kill me was an aspect of gratification and satisfaction," Stotler said. "It was probably the most challenging thing in my life I'd ever done."

Stotler said he became obsessed with collecting and studying snakes at age 8. His fascination escalated as a teenager, when he built cages and got a rattlesnake and an anaconda. Stotler read every snake book he could find, including a biography of Florida snake enthusiast William Haast.

Snake milkers' `hero'

Haast, 86, runs a serpentarium and said he has collected venom thousands of times and has been bitten 164 times by poisonous snakes. In addition, Haast has extolled the medical value of venom and said he has injected himself with small doses to try to protect against snakebites.

"The reason Haast is a hero is he free-handed these snakes in a macho way, and they like to emulate him," said Clyde Peeling, a snake specialist who owns a zoo in Allenwood, Pa.

After high school, Stotler's involvement with snakes escalated. He acquired cobras and outfitted the basement of his mother's home with cages and a heater.

Stotler said his goal was venom research. Even though he had no college education or formal training, Stotler conducted what he called experiments, breeding rats and injecting them with different venom; he would sometimes cut the rats beforehand to see if the venom would affect their recovery.

Bites are inevitable

Stotler started getting bitten, which snake specialists say is inevitable for anyone who milks regularly. He kept careful records of each bite and how much venom he thought was injected.

But Stotler didn't go to the hospital most times. He was worried that his snake collection would be seized, a concern that authorities said often keeps underground breeders from seeking medical attention.

Instead, Stotler consulted a book of case studies to determine how serious his symptoms were. Doctors said Stotler could have died before realizing he had serious symptoms.

"I think it's like playing Russian roulette," said Barry Gold, a Baltimore poison consultant who has helped treat more than 300 snakebites and has advised Stotler's doctors.

In 1995, a Chinese cobra wrapped itself around Stotler's right hand and bit his left hand twice. Stotler ultimately called 911 and said he was suffering from heatstroke to try to conceal his snake collection. The doctor thought Stotler needed his appendix removed and was ready to begin surgery when Stotler finally told the truth.

After that bite, Stotler said, he moved to Charlottesville, Va. Animal-control officials took his poisonous snakes, and he promised to breed only nonpoisonous varieties, which he continues to do today.

Stotler returned to Triangle earlier this year because his mother, Peggy Scott, was suffering from cancer, he said. In November, Stotler said, he obtained snakes to milk for their venom to help pay bills, which mounted after his mother's death in October. "I was in trouble and needed money fast," Stotler said.

`Experimental' research

Stotler said researchers in the "experimental medical field" buy venom from milkers who work in their homes, sometimes in violation of local laws. He declined to say who bought his venom or how much he charged.

When Stotler was bitten on Dec. 3, he thought he was going to die. He was put on a respirator as the venom played havoc with his muscles. After an all-night effort, Gold turned up eight vials of antivenin from New York and 10 more from Baltimore.

By the next day, the antivenin had worked. Stotler, who is uninsured, was released from the hospital after racking up $11,000 in bills, not including doctors' fees or the cost of the antivenin and its transportation. He also has been issued a $500 citation for violating the county code on poisonous-snake possession.

Stotler said he is planning to make a video to dissuade others from raising venomous snakes. Asked about his plans, Stotler said he would stick with nonvenomous snakes. But then he paused. "If I ever did get back into it," Stotler said, "it would be with the king cobras. I am addicted when it comes to kings."