Into the Snake Pit - Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm unveils new serpent sanctuary

The Cool Animal Blogger
Jul 19
2 min read

I had the pleasure of attending the 40th Anniversary of the opening of Stratford-upon-Avon’s Butterfly Farm (SBF) this week, with a grand reveal of the farm’s two new extra-venomous residents. The farm was launched in 1985 by Clive Farrell which has been an epicentre of butterfly wonderment in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon.

Following the launch of his creation of butterfly bliss, the team joined Ray Harbard and extended their operations to Central America, Belize to open Fallen Stones Butterfly Farm - a rainforest haven for ento-enthusiasts.

A Serpent Sanctuary

After much planning, consideration and effort - SBF welcomed two new lodgers, in addition to a fleet of ‘Vampire Crabs’ to the home. The Sumatran Pit Viper (Trimeresurus sumatranus), native to the rainforests of Sumatra and surrounding Southeast Asian regions, are pale yellowish green in colouration, with black markings, an auburn-tipped tail and raised scales.

These serpents can grow up to 1.6 metres in length, with a fang length of 10mm, meaning the snake can inject a large volume of ‘hemotoxic’ venom, affecting the blood and circulatory system if bitten. Often hunting frogs and small mammals, these pit vipers are ambush hunters, with just one bite allowing them to subdue, kill and swallow their prey.

We were able to grab a few shots of one up close at the Butterfly Farm, during their 40th Anniversary Event, in addition to the enclosure to the right, holding the brilliant Rhino Snake, gaining the name for their unique rhino-like horn. The Rhino Snake, indigenous to northern Vietnam and southern China, is found in tropical rainforests. Bright green in colour as pictured, the snake changes colour as it ages, from green, blueish green, brown and silver.

View the entire photo album via my Photo Journal

40 'Flutterly' Fantastic Years

Before we had the opportunity to see these spectacular snakes, we were joined by Dani Hunter, Mayor of Stratford and Manuella Perteghella, Member of Parliament for Stratford, and Richard Lamb, Managing Director of SBF for some heartfelt opening speeches. Clive’s daughter, Sonja shared her father’s passion for the growth of the butterfly sanctuary, preparing a beautiful speech about the importance of the organisation to her, and her family.

To accompany the celebrations, Coogan Middlebrook and his team assembled a glorious botanical arrangement in the shape of a butterfly marking the momentous occasion, supported by his dad, Andy and uncle Terry. The sheer amount of effort and skill that went into shaping the day, the set up and event was easily one of my favourite events I’d ever attended - a huge thank you to Jane and Coogan for getting me in!