Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, has posted a video of himself wrestling two snakes with his bare hands at the Florida home of fellow Trump official Dr Mehmet Oz. The 49-second clip, shared on social media on Tuesday, shows Kennedy grabbing the pair of serpents while his wife, Cheryl Hines, urges him to be careful.
In the video, Kennedy recoils as one of the snakes rears up and appears to bite his hand. The post describes the snakes as 'Black Racers' and notes they were removed from Dr Oz's patio. Southern black racers are non-venomous and the most common snake species in Florida, harmless to humans.
It is unclear when the video was recorded or what happened to the snakes. A voice believed to be Dr Oz's speculates whether the snakes were mating or fighting. Kennedy, dressed in a blue shirt and tie, laughs as he handles the snakes before being struck.
This incident adds to Kennedy's history of unusual animal encounters. He previously admitted dumping a dead bear cub in New York's Central Park and allegedly cut the penis off a road-kill raccoon. Other claims include severing a whale's head with a chainsaw and eating barbecued dog.
The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment, but a source close to Kennedy said he was 'doing just fine'.
