A video of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrangling two snakes captured the internet's attention on Tuesday, the latest animal encounter the US health secretary has shared that has sparked intrigue and, in some cases, concern. Kennedy shared the clip of himself grabbing the tails of the nonvenomous black racer snakes on his personal social media accounts, noting he was removing them from the patio of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services chief Mehmet Oz, per the AP. An avid outdoorsman, Kennedy has posted numerous photos and videos over the years of himself interacting with wildlife. He's also shared tales of such interactions, including admitting to once planting a bear carcass in New York's Central Park as a prank.
Internet users reacted with laughter, incredulity, and anger at his latest clip, which shows the snakes biting in the direction of his fingers as Oz asks questions. Kennedy's wife, actor Cheryl Hines, can be heard saying "Why?" and telling her husband to let them go. Herpetologists say the species is largely harmless to humans, even if the snakes do bite. The experts add, however, that people should be mindful of the stress that handling snakes can put on the creatures, and to avoid grabbing them by the tail as Kennedy does in the video, as it can injure their spine. "That is not how I would handle the snakes, but I'm a trained professional," says herpetologist Bonnie Keller.
Sean McKnight, director of programs at the nonprofit Rattlesnake Conservancy, said he encourages people to minimize the duration that they're handling any kind of wildlife, as they're "potentially stressing out the animals more than needed." Earlier this month, Kennedy posted a snapshot of himself holding a bird in his enclosed hand in what he wrote was the rescue of a starling at Virginia's Dulles Airport. In 2024, while running for president, he posted a video of himself using a small net and a trowel to capture a rattlesnake in his California driveway. In that video, he cautiously secures the venomous snake in his bare hands and displays its fangs to the camera.
McKnight said he doesn't advise anybody to handle rattlesnakes like that, as there's no way to restrain them safely with your hands. Also in 2024, Kennedy generated criticism when he admitted to taking a bear carcass from the side of the road in 2014 and placing it in Central Park as a prank. He said at the time that he'd been picking up roadkill his "whole life" and once had a "freezer full of it" at home. Kennedy campaign spokesperson Stefanie Spear, now a top adviser at the nation's health department, says roadkill is how Kennedy, a longtime falconer, feeds his birds.
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