Why millions a year
The five-step snake is full of treasure, and the core is made of snakes + whole industry chain:
Snake (core profits) - medical “soft gold” for serum, cancer and condensate。
- market price: about $100/g (2026)。
- a single year of poison ~10 g, a year of ~1,000 yen/ bar。
- fifty thousand snakes。
2. By-product of chinese medicine - snake drying: ~1,500 yen/kg
- snakes, snakes, snake oil
3. Deep processing (multiple profit) - snake wine, snake soap, health care - 3-4 times more profit than raw materials
♪ four thresholds ♪
Legal compliance (must be documented) - the five-step snake is the state's “three” protection of animals。
- requirement: a permit for artificial reproduction, a licence for the use of a business。
- undocumented farming/sale: offences, fines, criminal liability。
2. High risk to life (highly toxic deaths) - highly toxic blood and high mortality。
- must be fully protected, first aid and specialized。
- it's a high risk of being bitten。
Technological barriers are extremely high - environment: 26-27°c constant temperature, controlled humidity, imitation of ecology。
- reproduction, disease prevention, control of mortality, and specialization in poisoning。
- death rates of new breeders are often over 50 per cent。
4. Reinvestment of funds - snake fields, heat, flight prevention, seed sources: hundreds of thousands of initial cases。
- annual cost: forage, labour, water and electricity, disease prevention millions。
- back to back: 2-3 years of constant losses。
