The country's antivenom stock has been seriously depleted following a fire in Co Kilkenny.
One cobra died and a number of other snakes were injured in the blaze at the National Reptile Zoo in Gowran.
All the animals have now been evacuated and the fire has been dealt with.
The National Reptile Zoo is one of the few licence holders in the country to hold antivenom.
Manager James Hennessy says measures will now be taken to restore the national stock.
Speaking to KCLR, he said: "If there's an issue, national poison control contact us, and we provide the anti-venom for the rest of the country.
"That was quite a bit of a loss from a health and safety point of view. Anti-venom is quite expensive, so we've got to ship it in - that's got to be on standby right away."
The National Repitle Zoo is closed today following the fire.
