Snakes on a campaign! When animals attack politicians
A French MEP revealed she was bitten by a snake. She's not the only politician to be pricked by a creature.
In a satirical column, Parisian MEP Manon Aubry revealed she suffered complications following a viper bite in hospital. While noting snake attacks are rare in Europe, Aubry pointed out the higher risk when traveling abroad, sharing her own experience with a Malayan Pit Viper in Thailand. Returning to the U.S., West Virginia politician Doug Skaff recounted being bitten twice by venomous snakes while removing campaign signs in 2024.
RFK Jr. made headlines for picking up snakes from a friend's home, while Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen was bitten by a rescue dog, Codruț, belonging to Moldovan President Maia Sandu. The dog lashed out at Van der Bellen during a photo op with Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar. In a unique case, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was pecked by a parrot during a bird park visit in 2021.
In other countries, politicians and world leaders have also found themselves on the receiving end of animal attacks, including a groundhog bite on President Jair Bolsonaro, an ostrich attack on former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and a monkey bite on former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Written by urgent.news from Politico EU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
