Longtime venomous snake keeper reacts to how Florence man handled taipan from the inside before biting it

FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) — Florence man Jeffrey Leibowitz was bitten by the world’s most venomous snake — the inland taipan — at his home on Sept. 6, according to city police, and a longtime snake keeper was “flabbergasted” by the way Leibowitz handled the snakes.

After seeing several videos of Leibowitz posted on Facebook, Al Coritz said Leibowitz was not handling or caring for them properly in his Marion Street home.

On Friday, Leibowitz posted a video on Facebook confirming that he had been bitten by the inland taipan.

Coritz said the plastic containers featured in Leibowitz’s publications are not suitable for snakes to live in for long periods of time because they can easily squeeze through the cracks.

He also said that handling them freely without a snake hook or tongs made it only a matter of time before the snake would strike back.

“You can’t predict what’s going to happen to these animals,” Coritz said. “I think I was completely stunned when I watched him handle the little taipan and saw his little tail wagging, which means, ‘I’m really angry. Don’t bother me. I don’t want you to touch me.’”

Having owned a variety of 67 species of venomous snakes since 1973 and an important permit to purchase some of his snakes, Coritz said he has loved these unique reptiles since he was young and has developed a passion for educating people about the venomous creatures he owns.

Some of the snakes he owned were a blue island viper, water cobras and even a taipan itself.

“It’s a lifelong passion. I started keeping nonvenomous snakes when I was a teenager and got my first venomous snakes probably in 1973,” Coritz said. “I had my own passion for these very specialized animals that have changed over the centuries.”

“There are certain compounds that are present in their bodies, and they convert them into toxins and develop a system of distributing those toxins, primarily for predation,” he continued. “I’ve always been very interested in that, you know, being a biologist by training. So it all just naturally fell into place.”

Having invested so much time and passion into learning about his pet snakes, Coritz said having antivenom on hand should be a necessity for all venomous snake owners.

Although Coritz said it can be very expensive, with some reaching $4,000 per shot, it’s worth it. Leibowitz has his antivenom flown in from out of state.

“This product is multi-purpose, meaning it neutralises the venom of many Australian snakes in one bottle,” he said. “It’s like living 10 hours from the nearest fire station and your house catches fire. What’s left of your house in 10 hours when the firefighters finally arrive? Not much. It’s like having your own local fire station in your home.”

While many members of the reptile community purchase their venomous and nonvenomous snakes from reptile shows, Ultimate Reptile Show owner Maria Marinopoulos said her show travels across the United States and was held at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center last month.

She said each state had different laws and regulations, but Leibowitz didn’t get what he got from their show.

“It wasn’t sold at our show. It was delivered to the show,” she said. “It had nothing to do with the show. It was a deal that was made through Facebook and another seller who was a friend of the person who sold the snake. They delivered it for Jeff.”

She said that while the Ultimate Reptile Show is not responsible for Leibowitz’s situation, its staff will continue to follow protocols with snake dealers and implement new safety measures in the near future.

Coritz said the venomous snake community should come together and practice safe handling, wishing Leibowitz a speedy recovery.

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Gabby Jonas joined the News13 team as a multimedia journalist in April 2024. She is originally 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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