Just hours before a deadly encounter with one of the world’s most venomous snakes, Jeffrey Leibowitz was confidently handling the reptile and sharing his thoughts on Facebook, offering advice on how to safely interact with dangerous creatures.
In a short video posted at 7:50 p.m. on Thursday, Leibowitz calmly explained that there’s no need to fear these snakes as long as you understand their “limitations.” By 2 a.m., however, the same inland taipan he had been handling delivered a potentially fatal bite, sending Leibowitz to the hospital in critical condition.
Leibowitz, a known enthusiast of venomous snakes, often posted videos to social media, showing himself free handling various deadly reptiles. One viewer tipped News13 to his Facebook page, which was filled with reels of him handling snakes like cobras, rattlesnakes, and the inland taipan—a species known for having the most toxic venom of any snake in the world.
Despite warnings from experts and organizations like the African Snakebite Institute, which stress the unpredictability of these animals, Leibowitz seemed confident in his ability to control the situation. In one video, posted just a week before the incident, he even remarked, “They have nothing in their DNA whatsoever that says, ‘be friends with humans.'”
On Friday, after Leibowitz was bitten between his thumb and index finger, Florence police arrived at his home to investigate. They found conditions that raised serious alarms—venomous snakes were being kept in plastic containers with holes large enough for them to escape. The inland taipan responsible for the bite was one of 14 dangerous snakes found in the residence, all native to regions far from South Carolina, and all capable of inflicting life-threatening injuries.
The police report also revealed that this wasn’t the first time Leibowitz had been bitten by an inland taipan. He had already endured a previous bite in recent months, leading to a critical shortage of antivenom. Fortunately, his father confirmed that he had been administered the antivenom again after this latest incident, though Leibowitz remained in serious condition as of Tuesday morning.
Authorities were left with the daunting task of figuring out what to do with the snakes, especially given their poor living conditions and the risk they posed to public safety. Multiple zoos and reptile sanctuaries, including River Banks Zoo and Alligator Adventure, refused to accept the snakes due to concerns about diseases and the inherent danger of dealing with such venomous animals. In the end, with no other options available, Leibowitz’s father gave police permission to euthanize the reptiles.
Leibowitz’s approach to handling these creatures was often concerning to experts, yet his social media presence showed a man who treated the snakes almost like pets. He frequently spoke to them in soothing tones, calling them “cute” and “good girls,” even while acknowledging that they sometimes tried to bite.
In one video, as a South Pacific rattlesnake coiled around his arm, he mused, “Unfortunately, sometimes she tries to bite, but we’ve talked about it… They all give what they get. Give them lots of love, that’s what you’re going to get.”
