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Pera Uni and police in discussions to breed horses on Campus land
View(s):By L.B.Senaratne
The Peradeniya University and Kandy Police are holding discussions about allocating an area of about five acres within the Campus premises to breed horses. The university it is learnt is in need of horses to develop its ground breaking anti venom project. The antivenom is being developed in close collaboration with the Instituto Clodomiro Picado (ICP) in Costa Rica, while the University of Peradeniya is responsible for the clinical trials, which are now ongoing. Horses are used as the host animals into whom the snake venom is injected and then collected and further processed into antivenom.
Peradeniya Vice Chancellor Upul B.Dissanayake said the police who are also in need of more horses had made a request as the University had the space to breed the animals. Sri Lanka’s national serpentarium, home to some venomous snakes including Common kraits, cobras, Russell’s vipers, saw-scaled vipers and hump-nosed pit vipers is situated in Dambulla. Venom that is extracted from sankes here is being used for the anti venom project. Today, the antivenom used in Sri Lankan hospitals is imported from India.
Last year 60,000 reptile bites were reported islandwide while 60 fatalities were reported. The serpentarium is run by the Veterinary Faculty of Peradeniya University with Dr.Asok Dangolla in charge.