Florida mom intentionally lets snake bite 1-year-old
— -- A Florida mother is under police investigation after posting a video to Facebook showing her one-year-old daughter being bitten by a Red Ratsnake, according to reports.
The mother, whose identity has not been released, told ABC's Tampa affiliate WFTS on Monday that she intentionally allowed the snake to bite the infant because she thought it was “harmless."
"It had bitten me and my son and didn't leave a mark, several times," she told WFTS. "So, I thought it was a good opportunity to introduce her without actually getting hurt."
The mother, who lives on a 9-acre property in rural Highlands County, Florida, said she thought it was important for her children to learn how to deal with wild animals.
She said the child was unharmed in the biting incident because the snake’s “teeth are too small to actually puncture the skin.”
The video showing the child's face-to-face encounter with the snake has since been pulled from Facebook and the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident, according to WFTS.
“People are too sensitive," the mother said. "They just think that I hurt my child intentionally. The people that know me know that I would never hurt my children."
Red Ratsnakes, sometimes referred to as Red Cornsnakes, are non-venomous and can grow to be as large as 6 feet in size.
