The inland taipan is one of the world’s most venomous snakes, and it might even be the most venomous snake on Earth. Some people keep them as pets anyway. A Florence, South Carolina man is one of those people. Jeffrey Leibowitz posted a Reel to Facebook showing himself handling his pet inland taipan snake hours before it bit him. In the chilling video, he says: “There’s no need to be so scared of them, you know, if you just know their limitations.”
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Leibowitz is currently in critical condition, according to the latest update on his Facebook profile. He posted the video showing him holding the inland taipan and providing advice about handling these dangerous animals on Thursday evening. Local WBTW 13 news reports that by 2 AM on Friday morning, the snake had bitten Leibowitz and he was in the hospital.
WBTW 13 News says the inland taipan bit Leibowitz “in the webbing between his index finger and thumb.” Reports suggest he did receive anti-venom at the hospital. The snake is just one of 14 venomous snakes Leibowitz owns and keeps in his home.
The Leibowitz family has posted two updates on his condition so far. Here is the first:
“Thank you for all of your concern regarding Jeffrey Leibowitz.
Jeffery is in the ICU in critical condition. He is currently on a ventilator. We will provide updates if/when there is a change in his status.
Our family is requesting that all non-family members to please cease contacting the hospital at this time. While we appreciate the support for Jeffery, we would like to minimize any interruptions in his care.
With love,
The Leibowitz family”
One day later, the family posted this additional update:
“Good evening,
Jeffrey Leibowitz’s status is mildly improved from yesterday. He is still unable to be taken off the ventilator but was able to follow verbal commands such as squeezing the doctor’s hand when directed. Unfortunately his kidneys are still not producing urine.
We are unsure of if he will recover and if so, what would the lasting deficits entail, but we remain hopeful for improvement through the following weeks.
We thank you again for your continued thoughts and prayers.
Best regards,
The Leibowitz Family”
Finally, one additional update made to Leibowitz’s profile on Monday, September 9 at 9:57 PM simply says: #notdeadyet. We’re hoping this means Leibowitz has continued to improve since the last update.
Due to the profile owner’s settings, we can’t embed the video, but you can watch Leibowitz handling the inland taipan here.
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