THE MAN AND THE MISSION BEHIND "VENOM IN VEGAS"

It looks like a scene from an Indiana Jones movie. An intrepid explorer is sealed in a chamber with a slithering mass of dangerous snakes. Except this explorer — biologist, adrenaline-junkie and "Wild Recon" host Donald Schultz — has joined the snakes voluntarily. And he's not afraid.

In fact, that's the whole point of the event dubbed "Venom in Vegas." Schultz came up with the idea as a way to promote his new show, which premiered on Animal Planet on Jan. 5, but he really hopes to accomplish something bigger: to show the world that man and snake can live in harmony. So, on January 17, on the Las Vegas Strip near Caesars Palace and Harrah's, Schultz climbed into a 300-square-foot glass box with 50 deadly snakes. Five new snakes are added to the box each day for 10 days.

Coexisting with Snakes in Nature (and in Glass Houses)

According to Schultz, "Venom in Vegas" is a microcosm of what takes place all over the world, especially in places like Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia. "In many developing countries," he says, "humans encounter snakes all the time. Approximately 125,000 people die from snakebites each year. And more than 5 million people are bitten. We wanted to raise awareness about the problem and demonstrate that people can live safely alongside snakes."

That doesn't mean Schultz is careless. He's been on the receiving end of a snakebite before and knows how serious it can get. "I can empathize with people who have been bitten. It's a scary and lonely place to be, especially when you're miles away from medical treatment."

In Las Vegas, he isn't be miles away from medical care. He has access to appropriate antivenoms, envenomation experts trained in snakebite treatment and a helicopter, if emergency transport to the hospital is necessary. Still, it's not possible to predict exactly what's going to happen when you pile hundreds of short-tempered snakes into a single room.

The Science of Slither

The unpredictable nature of such a stunt certainly attracts viewers. But the goal is to get the audience — passersby on the Strip, as well as people who watch live feeds on the Animal Planet Web site — past the morbid curiosity and closer to a healthy respect for snakes. Schultz can interact with audience members through a talk-back box installed in the wall of his transparent room. He can answer questions, share stories and help people come to appreciate an animal that has far more impact on humans than sharks do.

Schultz also is aiming to expose viewers to real science. Other researchers are joining him throughout his stay to help conduct experiments. Some of those experiments involve special cameras designed to document never-before-seen footage of snake strikes. Schultz has already published papers in scientific journals based on cutting-edge filming techniques. "Venom in Vegas" may allow him to contribute more to the field.

But at the end of the day, Schultz doesn't want to advance his career nearly as much as he wants to advance public opinion about snakes. "If we get people talking about snakes," he says, "we've done our job. And who knows, maybe next year, Discovery will have a Snake Week to go along with Shark Week."