MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — A Florence man remains in the hospital after being bit by his pet inland taipan snake last Friday, the most venomous snake in the world, and a Myrtle Beach herpetologist gave tips for handling venomous snakes.
Ryan LaPierre, a herpetologist and the owner of Out of the Ark Educational Shows, shared more information on the inland taipan after Jeffrey Leibowitz was bit last week.
LaPierre said just one drop of venom from an inland taipan can kill about 100 men.
“What makes their venom so potent is that it’s kind of like a triple threat cocktail,” he said.
Inland taipan venom makes it a unique snake out of the venomous snake family, as they strike with three different venoms, according to LaPierre — neurotoxic, hemotoxic and myotoxic, shutting down the body quickly.
“It’s like Russian Roulette,” LaPierre said. “I think owning venomous snakes is something that you really need to sit down and think about before jumping into it. There’s a lot of training that has to happen beforehand. You have to have proper enclosures, you know, enclosures that can lock.”
Florence police said the 14 venomous snakes found in Leibowitz’s home, as well as the inland taipan, were placed in plastic containers and glass habitats, something LaPierre said the veterinary field has made advances with for better living conditions.
LaPierre said owning venomous snakes in South Carolina should remain legal, but that it’s important to know how to own them properly before taking them home.
“Research is the first thing you should be doing. You shouldn’t be going to an expo or a pet store anywhere and just, ‘You know what? That’s cute. I’d like to buy it,’” he said. “The best thing I can recommend is sit on it for a while. OK. You’ve chosen the animal that you want, but now, let’s do a couple of weeks of research. Make sure that I’m ready for a long-term commitment, because most of these snakes are going to live 10, 15, 20 years. Some even longer than that.”
“While it might be cool to own it, and I’ve had people surrender animals before and say, ‘I just wanted to say I owned an alligator,’” LaPierre continued. “I just don’t, you know, I’ve owned a caiman. That should not be the reason you’re going into owning any animal, whether it’s a dog, a cat, or, you know, a snake.”
Nonvenomous snakes, like Billy the boa constrictor, come with fewer risks being under managed care compared to venomous snakes like the inland taipan. LaPierre said they should be handled with snake hooks or tongs.
“If you are handling a venomous snake, it’s one of those things where it should be done by professionals who have worked with venomous snakes and certainly venomous snakes that have been under managed care for long periods of time so that they’re more accustomed to handling and they’re not so aggressive,” he said.
Although it may seem cool to own a venomous snake, LaPierre wants people to understand that snake ownership should be taken seriously.
“At the end of the day, most of the venomous snakes that are out there and that are in private ownership, those people are responsible pet owners and doing the right things,” he said. “These isolated incidences that pop up, and they’re unfortunate all day long, but they’re not widespread. I think that’s something that really needs to be understood about this case in particular.”
LaPierre thinks there should be some sort of credentialing when it comes to venomous snake ownership in South Carolina to ensure that snakes are in responsible hands and to avoid isolated incidences like Leibowitz’s.
“There’s got to be some sort of credentialing, whether it’s through the state of South Carolina or [if it] starts at the vendor level or the seller level to make sure that your animals are going into responsible hands,” he said. “I think, you know, an outright ban is not the answer, because I think there is a place for private ownership of venomous snakes.”
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Gabby Jonas joined the News13 team as a multimedia journalist in April 2024. She is from Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Kent State University in May 2023. Follow Gabby on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, and read more of her work here.
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