Father Lets De-venomized Snakes Bite Daughter

Raymond Hoser

An Australian snake handler let normally deadly snakes bite his 10-year-old daughter to prove they are de-venomised and safe.

"Snakeman" Raymond Hoser allowed a taipan and a death adder to bite his daughter while a shopping centre audience watched on. The handler, 49, said the video proved that despite being convicted of breaching his Commercial Wildlife Demonstrator Licence, there was never any risk. He was fined $12,000 in the County Court last week for demonstrating with venomous snakes less than three metres from the public.

He said the video demonstration, which left his daughter with bleeding puncture wounds in her forearm, had proved his snakes were not venomous. "She was only bleeding and if they'd been venomous she'd have been dead in two minutes," Hoser said.

Herald Sun | Arbroath