Owner Critical After Pet Cobra Bite

A New Jersey man who went shopping for pet snakes over the weekend ended up in critical condition after a snake bite. The 25-year-old reptile fan was hospitalized after a bite from an albino cobra, which he had bought along with a diamondback rattlesnake and a copperhead snake, MSNBC reports.

The man apparently believed the snakes’ venom sacks had been removed, Fox notes. "Ownership of poisonous snakes in New Jersey requires special training and permits to ensure the safety of the owner and the public," local police said in a statement. It's not clear whether the victim had the necessary permit. The snakes are now in the care of the state's Fish and Wildlife department. (More snake stories.)