Ohhhh my God

This is a learned behavior. OP has taught the child to do this, either intentionally or inadvertently. Saying "you can't control what a 1 year old does" is a red flag, buddy. You don't supervise your kids? You just let them do what they want? You let them run around without keeping an eye on them? Especially outside, where there are clearly wild animals? Meaning, there could be venemous snakes, or snapping turtles? I grew up in the backwoods of Georgia, near a creek. My parents would've been absolute morons to let me pick animals up unsupervised, since copperheads and king snakes are a dime a dozen. My sister would be a moron if she didn't teach her kids this same knowledge (which she did).

Are you saying kids are idiots? That you can't teach them to not pick up strange animals? "Ah fuck it, I can't control them, might as well let them run wild!" is exactly what you sound like. It almost seems like you're personally offended by the fact that someone realizes how dangerous of a situation this can turn in to. The kid's safety is MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than them handling an animal, and it is something you can definitely teach to a 1 year old.