A recently surfaced video of United States Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. picking up two active black racer snakes with his bare hands has spread rapidly across social media platforms, prompting official cautions from wildlife regulators urging members of the public not to replicate the risky behavior.
In the caption accompanying the clip he shared Tuesday, Kennedy explained he was removing the reptiles from the patio of his senior colleague Dr. Mehmet Oz’s beachfront property in Florida. The caption referenced his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, who can be heard in the footage questioning the stunt with a confused “Why?” before pleading “Bobby, please” as Kennedy moves to grab the snakes. Dr. Oz, who serves as the head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services under Kennedy’s Department of Health and Human Services, hosted Kennedy at the home during the encounter.
Footage shows Kennedy approaching the slithering snakes fully clothed except for going barefoot, crouching to seize them, and holding the writhing animals up to the camera with a smile, even as the pair repeatedly bite his hands. Contrary to common assumption, the National Park Service confirms that black racers are a non-venomous species that pose little danger to humans when left undisturbed in their natural habitats.
The incident comes as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has ramped up public warnings about snake interactions this spring, when the animals become far more active across the state. In a recent public advisory posted to Facebook, the agency urged residents and visitors to “give snakes a wide berth and admire them from a distance,” adding that even non-venomous species can deliver painful, damaging bites that require medical attention. “Resist the urge to pick it up – even our nonvenomous snakes can give a solid bite,” the commission emphasized.
This viral snake encounter is not the first time Kennedy has made headlines for unusual hands-on interactions with wildlife. Just two months prior in April, he faced questions during a Capitol Hill hearing over reports that he once cut the penis off a road-killed raccoon to conduct personal research. Arizona Democratic Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva directly raised the allegation during the oversight hearing, referencing news coverage of Kennedy’s reported self-directed biological studies. Two years earlier, Kennedy also drew criticism from environmental advocates over claims that he used a chainsaw to decapitate a dead beached whale so he could transport the head home on the roof of his vehicle.