A terrifying tail: Unfazed toddler swings snake around [VIDEO]

The jaw-dropping video clip of a toddler’s encounter with a long, striped snake has hissed its way to viral status in a jiffy.

The chuffed little boy is blissfully unaware of the danger posed by snakes as he clings onto his “new toy” by its tail in the footage circulating on social media.

It’s unclear what type of snake it is, but one thing is for certain: It is definitely not made of rubber. This is the real McCoy, folks.

Ignorance is bliss: The toddler and the snake

In the video, a man can be seen holding the smiling toddler while frantically shouting at the boy to let go of the writhing snake.

Stunned by the boy’s fearlessness, two other men step in to assist as the unnerving scene unfolds. One of them finally manages to remove the reptile from the boy’s hand, tossing it into a field.  

Watch: Baby snake handler in action

What is the average cost of treating a snakebite?

According to Cape Town-based snake handling trainer Willem van Zyl, the average snakebite treatment in a hospital could cost about R200 000.

“If you need surgery, costs may be well over R1 million, so it’s much cheaper to call a snake catcher when you see one rather than try and deal with it yourself,” he told News24.

ALSO READ: WATCH: ‘Josh, f**king drive!’ – Epic mongoose vs Cape Cobra ‘battle of the golf course’

Has SA’s critical shortage in snakebite antivenom been resolved?

In April last year, the National Snakebite Advisory Group raised the alarm over the fact that South Africa was experiencing a massive shortage of snakebite antivenom.

After an appeal to Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla to ensure funding and emergency upgrades of equipment and backup power supply at the South African Vaccine Producers’ production plant, the shortage crisis has apparently been resolved.

NOW READ: Brave battle to the end: ‘Truly fearless’ WC snake handler succumbs to cobra bite