Here are a few ways to reduce the risks of snake bites while on the trail: Preventing a snake bite is obviously better than dealing with a snake bite.Be aware that there could be snakes where you’re running.Watch where you’re placing your feet, be extra aware on rocky, sunny areas, pockets of leaves and logs across the trail.Also wear proper clothing, including hiking boots. Other tips for hikers include choosing hikes where there are other people around and where cellphone service is available. If it’s on the trail, slowly move away and wait for it to move. If the snake is off the trail, try to walk around it. If you’re hiking, don’t go off the trail. Consider a digital subscription to The Star so you'll have unlimited access to coverage like this.
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However, avoiding a bite in the first place is preferable. “Do not apply a tourniquet or try to suck out the venom,” Readyhoff said. Officials also say to keep the wound site elevated and don’t use ice on it. Keeping the victim calm is important to slow blood circulation. “If you get bit, remain calm and call 911,” Readyhoff said. Don’t approach them or corner them, which can make them feel threatened. The good news is that rattlesnakes rarely bite when unprovoked. MORE: DNA tests confirm mountain lion attacked California boy He said he responds to one snakebite call a year at most. With lots of people getting outdoors to enjoy the spring super bloom and spend time hiking, there are bound to be encounters with rattlesnakes.ĭarrell Readyhoff, a ranger with California State Parks for the Santa Monica Mountains, said while rattlesnake sightings are common, bites are rare. “This year, the season didn’t begin until almost the end of March,” Slyapich said.
#LOTS OF SNAKES ON TRAIL PROFESSIONAL#
The prolonged rain and cold weather of this past winter also caused a delay in rattlesnakes exiting their winter dormancy.īo Slyapich, a professional rattlesnake wrangler based in Calabasas, said he usually begins to get calls in February when the weather starts warming up. View Gallery: Staying safe from rattlesnakes in Ventura County “However, since 2017, there has been an increase in breeding activity and we have seen an uptick in repopulation.” “What we saw for several years was a significant drought, and the snake population did really poorly over the course of the drought,” Pauly said. The increase is due in part to drought-ending rainfall, which has led to increased vegetation, producing more food for the insects and rodents that make up rattlesnakes’ diet, according to Greg Pauly, a curator of reptiles and amphibians at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. MORE: Controlled burns now prevent disasters later, local firefighters and study agree This week on the cusp of June, he said snakes have increased even more, even though the department hasn’t formally tallied the number in recent weeks. Brian McGrath, commented to The Star: “That’s a lot for this time of year.”
In April after local firefighters responded to 48 reports in the span of two weeks, Capt. Increased rattlesnake sightings have happened across the county, both on hiking trails and in yards. With summer around the corner in Ventura County, temperatures have risen, bringing out the blooms, the butterflies - and the rattlesnakes.
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