SEBRING, FL (WFTS/CNN) - A Florida woman is under fire for allowing a snake to bite her 1-year-old daughter then posting the incident on her Facebook page.
"My intent was never to hurt her," the mother said.
The mom has not been charged with a crime at this time so is not being identified. The Highlands County Sheriff's Office is investigating what happened.
"It had bitten me and my son and didn't leave a mark, several times, so I thought it was a good opportunity to introduce her without actually getting hurt," she said.
In the video, the 1-year-old reaches into the plastic box and the snake strikes. The mother said the baby was not hurt, only scared of the snake's movement.
The family lives on an isolated nine acres on the outskirts of Sebring. This mother said it's important her kids learn how to handle all kinds of wildlife and when to stay away from them.
"People are too sensitive and don't bother to ask why," she said. "They just think that I hurt my child intentionally, which the people that know me know that I would never hurt my children."
Growing up, she learned how to handle reptiles, going out on animal service calls with her father, a Jupiter police officer.
Now she trusts her methods are teaching her children a valuable lesson. The video in question has since been taken down from Facebook.
"And she's not scared of snakes but she doesn't want to touch them, either, so that was my goal," the mom said.
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