The Queen Saowabha Memorial Institute specialises in breeding venomous snakes, extracting and researching snake venom, and creating vaccines for rabies and cholera. The institute has a snake farm, a popular attraction in Bangkok.
The history of the institute dates back to 1912, when King Rama VI ordered the establishment of a government laboratory for the production and distribution of rabies vaccine. The proposal to organise the institute came from Prince Damrong, whose daughter, Princess Banlusirisarn, had died of rabies. The institute was officially opened on 26 October 1913 in the Luang Building on Bamrung Muang Street and in 1917 was named after Louis Pasteur, who was the first to develop a rabies vaccine. The institution was then taken over by the Thai Red Cross.
In the early 1920s, the King offered a plot of land owned by him on Rama IV Street for the construction of a new building for the institute. It was opened on 7 December 1922 and named after Queen Saowabha Phongsri. At that time, the institute's first director, Dr Leopold Robert, asked foreigners living in Thailand for financial assistance to establish a snake farm, which would enable the institute to produce an antidote for snakebites. The farm, which was the second in the world after a similar institution in Sao Paulo, Brazil, was opened in 1923.
The snake farm houses thousands of snakes, including some of the world's most venomous snakes, such as the king cobra and some vipers, and is kept in vivariums. Twice a day, the farm hosts a performance for visitors to see how staff interact with the snakes and collect their venom. The most adventurous guests are invited to have their picture taken with a giant python.
The snake farm has a museum where you can see the snakes and their skeletons.
The snake farm has a museum where you can see specimens of snakes and their skeletons.
