Additional Coverage:
- RFK Jr. responds to snake-handling critics with new video showing him wrangling a venomous rattlesnake (foxnews.com)
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addressed concerns over his recent snake-handling videos by sharing new footage of a rattlesnake rescue on Wednesday.
In an Instagram post, Kennedy Jr. wrote, “In response to the many comments about venomous snakes, this video shows how Cheryl and I handled a recent rattlesnake rescue.” The video opens with Kennedy Jr. sitting in his home office before being alerted to a snake in the driveway. He quickly grabs a bucket and a small net, then heads outside to safely capture the rattlesnake.
Carefully scooping up the Western Diamondback rattlesnake, he places it in the bucket and later holds it behind the head to demonstrate how to identify the species. “His fangs are in there.
I don’t want to touch them,” he explains. “This is a beautiful snake.
This is a Western Diamondback. You can tell by these rings at the end of his tail.”
With help from his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, who brings a pillowcase, Kennedy Jr. transports the snake for release back into the wild.
This new footage appears to respond to criticism sparked by an earlier video Kennedy Jr. shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday. In that clip, he was seen handling two black racer snakes barehanded on Dr.
Mehmet Oz’s patio while Hines watched nervously. Despite the snakes repeatedly biting his hands, Kennedy Jr. remained calm, even smiling as he lifted them by their tails.
Hines urged him to stop, expressing concern and calling his actions “nuts.”
The black racer snakes shown in the earlier video are nonvenomous and generally harmless, though they do bite in self-defense, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. However, Wednesday’s video featuring a venomous rattlesnake prompted some social media users to question whether Kennedy Jr. was taking unnecessary risks.
Throughout both videos, Kennedy Jr. demonstrates a hands-on approach to wildlife, aiming to educate the public about snake species and safe handling practices while emphasizing the importance of relocating snakes rather than harming them.