São Paulo Sights

Instituto Butantan

#20 of 236 things to do in São Paulo

#38 of 558 things to do in The Southeast

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  • Address
    • Av Vital Brazil 1500 Butuntâ, 05503-900 Cidade Universitária
  • Website
  • Email
  • Phone
    • tel, info: 11 3726 7222
  • Price
    • admission adult/student R$5/R$2
  • Hours
    • 09:00-16:30 Tue-Sun

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Lonely Planet review for Instituto Butantan

One of the city's most popular attractions - at least among non-ophidophobes - this institute is internationally respected for its ground-breaking biomedical research. However, the biggest draw is its venom farm - researchers milk some 1000 snakes of their poison, which is then used to make antidotes to snake and spider bites, as well as in research for other medicines.

You can see the snakes in their cages, which attempt to recreate their native habitat - because apparently happy snakes produce more poison. Yet further proof the universe has a sense of humor!

 

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