Man Tries To Kiss Rattlesnake, Immediately Regrets It (Video)

A Putnam County, Florida, man was bitten in the face by a rattlesnake after attempting to kiss it (video below).

The snake was caught by a neighbor a couple of days prior to the incident and was being stored in a bucket with a lid on it. The neighbor told WXJT that he originally planned to release it in the woods away from anyone’s home, but another resident asked to keep it.

On the day of the incident, the people living behind the neighbor were playing with the snake — with one person holding it while showing it off. It was then that a man named Ron Reinolds tried to kiss it and was bitten in the face.

The audio of the 911 call includes a woman describing the situation to a dispatcher while sitting in her car: “There’s this young man here on Jamey Lane and there’s a gentleman that told me he just got bit by a diamondback rattlesnake. There’s another gentleman carrying it. And he’s saying on the tongue and he’s bleeding from the mouth. There’s another man carrying the rattlesnake and they look like they might — they are going to need some help here. And I’m getting scared.”

“Yes ma’am. I understand. I’m sending rescue now for the man who was bitten,” the dispatcher responds. 

“He’s sitting here on the side of the road, and he’s pounding on my car door and I’ve got it locked. And there’s another man carrying the snake in the road,” the caller says. 

“Can you tell him to drop the snake? Why is he carrying the snake?” the dispatcher asks.

“I don’t know. I’m not rolling down my windows. My doors are locked in my car. I’m starting to get very frightened. I’m going to tell this guy to have a seat here. He’s hanging onto my car door,” the caller replies. 

American Trappers representative Jeff Altman told the station that people who encounter snakes should avoid any contact whatsoever.

“Snakes don’t want to have anything to do with you, as much as you don’t want to have to do anything with them,” Altman said.

Reinolds was flown to the hospital for treatment, where he was said to be recovering.

“That is way beyond stupid. Hopefully he has not reproduced,” one Mad World News reader commented on the site’s Facebook page.

“Sorry … no sympathy for this moron. Why would anyone try to kiss a rattlesnake?” another wrote.

“Stupid is as stupid does should have known you can’t trust a snake you mess with one you are sure to get bit,” another added. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUl-9Ud90u0

Sources: WJXT, Mad World News/Facebook / Photo credit: Tigerhawkvok/Wikimedia Commons