you know he didnt always only tail them. just saying I am pretty certain I saw video of Steve letting a Australian brown snake crawl around face and head while loosely handling it as well. I will see what I can find.
And I will gladly call him an idiot for making that video if/when you find it - much as I loved the man's enthusiasm and all that he did for animals in general. I just can't picture him purposefully doing such a thing.