South Carolina man bitten by world’s most venomous snake that he was keeping as pet

A South Carolina man is battling for his life in a hospital after he was bitten by an inland taipan — the most venomous snake in the world — in his home on Friday.

According to Reptile Magazine, the man, who was known for posting videos with the exotic venomous snakes in his collection, was free handling the snake when it bit him. The site said he posted a video handling the snake earlier in the day and claiming he could control its movement.

“I can control his turn,” he said in the video. “There’s no need to be so scared of him.”

WBTW identified the man as Jeffrey Leibowitz, and said that a search of his property later turned up 14 snakes and a pet cat. Among the venomous snakes taken from his home, the site said, was a green mamba, two gaboon vipers, a fer-de-lace, a death adder, an eastern diamondback rattlesnake, two other adult rattlesnakes of unknown species, to black forest cobras, two neotropical rattlesnakes, a small rattlesnake (species unknown) and the taipan.

Jeff Camper, a biologist and snake specialist at Francis Marion University, told the site the snake has a “very, very dangerous, potent venom,” and that one bite could “kill up to 100 people.”

WBTW said antivenom was flown in from Florida to help treat Leibowitz.

“His body is probably going to want to shut down relatively soon,” Camper told the site. “My understanding is that he’s on a respirator, and that’s what’s needed for the patient to be able to continue breathing, as his diaphragm is likely paralyzed.

“He may have long-lasting or permanent damage to various organs.”

“Taipan envenomations are incredibly dangerous and just about the worst thing to be bitten by,” University of Queensland Australia Associate Professor Bryan Fry wrote on Facebook. “That is because taipans are specialists upon very dangerous prey animals such as long-haired rats. Mammals quite capable of severely injuring or even killing a snake predator. So they have evolved strategies to absolutely nuke their very dangerous prey. Giving it no chance of retaliating.”

WBTW said that none of the zoos or reptile areas nearby would take the animals “due to unknown health and environmental concerns such as their living conditions and potential illnesses.” It said a family member signed a voluntary surrender form, giving the snakes over to Florence police for euthanasia.