US Secretary of Health and Human Services Kennedy Jr. posted a video on X on 26/5 showing him catching two snakes at the home of Doctor Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
In the video, Kennedy Jr. approached two black snakes crawling in a corner of the yard and grabbed them bare-handed, much to the dismay of his wife, Cheryl Hines.
"Hey, hey! Why do you do that? Why?" Hines said.
Kennedy Jr. catches snakes bare-handed. Video: X/Robert F. Kennedy Jr
As Kennedy Jr. held the two snakes up to the camera, one bit his hand. While Hines worried it was a venomous snake, Kennedy Jr. laughed, dismissing her concerns as the animals continued to wriggle in his hands.
"Honey, please let them go! Bobby, please!" Hines pleaded as Kennedy Jr. invited Doctor Oz to take a photo with the snakes. The US Health Secretary later posted the video on X, stating they were a pair of black racer snakes.
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Black racer snake in the southeastern US. Photo: USA Today
These non-venomous snakes are common in the southeastern US. Their name, "racer", comes from their quick movement and tendency to flee when approached by humans.
A black racer snake bite can be uncomfortable but is not dangerous. The risk of being bitten by this species is low, unless they are intentionally caught bare-handed. "North American racer snakes are not dangerous to people or pets, but they will readily bite to defend themselves," according to the Florida Museum.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has often attracted attention for his habit of collecting roadkill and conducting at-home biological "experiments". During his 2024 presidential campaign, he mentioned that his freezer was full of animal carcasses.
Most notably, Kennedy Jr. decapitated a dead whale washed ashore during a family vacation in Massachusetts, then tied it to his car roof and drove it back to New York. A recent biography also recounted a 2001 entry in Kennedy Jr.'s private journal, where he described stopping his car to remove the genitals of a dead raccoon on the roadside for "research" purposes.
Duc Trung (According to USA Today, Hill, Washington Post)
