Butantan Institute accepts donations of serpents, spiders, scorpions, scoloprenda, taturanas (a species of caterpillar), and poisonous insects. After the donation, the supplier receives a proving certificate with the animal’s ID. Additional information about the animals could be obtained along with the person in charge of receiving these donations.

Address and office hours

Av. Vital Brazil, 1500
Monday to Friday from 8 a.m to 5 p.m
Below we can view the labs in charge of receiving all the different kinds of animals, as well as all the basic procedure of collecting and shipping, and the destination of these donated species.

SERPENTS
Delivering location:
Laboratório de Herpetologia (Herpetology lab)

When to collect:

A serpent, as any other animal, is also part of the environment, and it contributes with the ecological balance. Therefore, it is highly recommended that the animal stays in its natural habitat, to avoid environmental unbalancing. A serpent could only be brought to Butantan Institute, in case it brings some kind of risk or danger among the people who are nearby. It is important that these serpents are brought in alive (for some species are very important to obtain the poison, in order to produce snake venom antiserum) However, Butantan Institute also accepts the donations of dead specimen, (in this case, it is recommended that the animal is placed in a container filled with alcohol, in which it is paper-tagged by pencil, with the collecting date and place)

Collecting procedure

It is recommended that the collector must be wearing boots. One should not capture a serpent with their bare hands. He or she must use a bowknot, a fork-shaped hook or a hook. Avoid putting your hands or any part of your unprotected body near a serpent, for this poisonous creature can jump on you with a range equivalent to 1third of its body size. After capturing the animal, you must place it inside a wooden box with small holes and without any slit that could cause the escaping of this animal. Do put neither water nor food. The serpent must be handed as soon as possible to the Institute.

Destiny of the donated animals:

1. Imprisonment maintenance in order to obtain the poison. (necessary basis in the accomplishment of the snake venom antiserum) ;
2. Feeding of poisonous coral snakes. ( group of snakes kept for the production of poison and specific serum, and that needs this food in order to survive within their imprisonment;
3. Scientific studies in several areas of the Butantan Institute and other institutions of research ;
4. Integrate the serpent collection from the Butantan Institute.
5. Exposure in Museum or Serpentarium;
6. Textbook Collection use, applied in schools and colleges

SPIDERS, SCORPIONS, SOLOPRENDAS AND INSECTS

Delivering location:
Arthropods Laboratory
Laboratório de Entomologia(Entomology Lab)

When to collect:

Spiders and scorpions, as any other animal, are part of the environment, and they contribute to the ecological balance. Therefore, it is highly recommended that the animal must be kept in its natural habitat. These animals must only be brought in the Institute, in case there is the intention of killing them or extracting them of their places.(infested places and in cases of accidents). Moving them to another place is not a adequate procedure, because it could put in jeopardy the lives of other organisms within the place where these animals were moved to. It is suggested that these spiders and the scorpions are brought in alive, since all of them are of great importance for poison extraction, in order to use it as spider venom antiserum. However, Butantan Institute also accepts the donation of dead specimen (in this case, it is recommended that the animal is placed in a container filled with alcohol, in which it is paper-tagged by pencil, with the collecting date and capture place).

Collecting procedure

We recommend that the collector be very careful, in order not to be bitten by the spider. Whenever possible, it is important the use of scraped leather gloves, to avoid hand bites. For capturing, a glass or container with a large opening could be placed over the animal (transparent glass is better)  In the container, which must be closed with all the possible care, using a closing cap with small holes, we must wet a cloth, paper or cotton, for these animals die with the lack of water. The animals must be handed or sent as soon as possible to the institute.

Destination of the donated animals

• Imprisonment maintenance in order to obtain the poison. (necessary basis in the accomplishment of the snake venom antiserum) ;
• Feeding of poisonous coral snakes. ( group of snakes kept for the production of poison and specific serum, and that needs this food in order to survive within their imprisonment ;
• Scientific studies in several areas of the Butantan Institute and other institutions of research ;
• Integrate the arthropods from the Butantan Institute.
• Museum exposure;
• Textbook Collection use applied in schools and colleges.