Las Vegas Weekly

January 19, 2010 · 12:31 PM

Adventurer enters glass cage to spend 10 days with 100 snakes

By Robin Leach

Animal adventurer and venom expert Donald Schultz is spending 10 days in a glass box with a variety of snakes outside O'Sheas in a stunt titled Venom in Vegas. He began the stunt on Jan. 17, 2010.

Photo: Glenn Pinkerton/Las Vegas News Bureau

Right on schedule and exactly as planned, animal adventurer Donald Schultz stepped into a glass cage with 50 deadly snakes late Sunday, and he’s still alive to talk about it this morning. Venom in Vegas one of the most terrifying ordeals ever undertaken by anybody on the Strip.

TV cameras from Animal Planet are filming Don 24/7 as he lives inside the clear glass box in full view of the Strip’s other animals. Only a joke, folks! The stunt is right there in full view of spectators and tourists.

Don will spend 10 days and nights winding up eventually in the company of 100 deadly snakes. He’s sharing the 16-foot-by-20-foot enclosure outside O’Shea’s. The renowned snake venom expert eats, drinks and hopefully sleeps safely with the deadly collection of cobras, pythons and rattlesnakes.

Don started with 50 snakes on Sunday evening when contributing photographer Glenn Pinkerton of Las Vegas News Bureau was on hand for these photos. Each day, five snakes are added until the total is 100. Don won’t know who his roommates are until he opens each double-bagged snake as it’s delivered.

The quarters include a bed, a tiny, frosted-glass restroom and several big brother-style cameras. The stunt is being filmed as part of a two-hour special Wild Recon set to broadcast next month. The program chronicles Don’s adventures as he attempts to get his hands on some of the most deadly animals on the planet.

During his 10-day stay outside O’Shea’s, it’s certainly not all play. Don has to work with the reptiles, extracting venom that will later be shipped around the world and used for research. He’ll also be conducting tests to measure the potency of venom, the depth of fang penetration and the strike range of the world’s fastest snakes.

Some of Las Vegas’ own entertainers have promised to enter the box to be a part of the action, but they’ll be outfitted in a specially designed “armored” suit. Since there’s no guarantee that even a venom veteran like Don won’t be bitten, Animal Planet has a team of experts on hand should something go wrong: Dr. Jeremy Sabatini, veterinarian; Dr. Sean Bush, professor of emergency medicine at Loma Linda University; and Dr. Bruce Young, professor of biology at Washburn University.

I’ll stop by tonight to check in on Don’s progress and his mental state of being!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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