Be careful with rattlesnakes, warns Fresno Chaffee Zoo
FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – What should you do if you find a rattlesnake? That’s the question Rattlesnake Awareness Day was designed to answer. The event, put on by Fresno Chaffee Zoo and California Poison Control was held on Friday, and included the unveiling of a a rattlesnake display in the zoo’s reptile house. Rattlesnake bites […] Rattlesnake Awareness Day was held by Fresno Chaffee Zoo and California Poison Control to raise awareness about rattlesnakes in the area. The event also included the unveiling of a rattlesmake display in the zoo's reptile house. The goal of the event is to make the public aware of the dangers of rattles, which can lead to extreme pain, swelling, nausea, swelling in the mouth and throat, making it difficult to breathe, lightheadedness, drooling, collapse and shock. For members of the public who are bitten by a rattle, go straight to the hospital.
Published : 2 months ago by Cristina Lombardo in Travel
FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – What should you do if you find a rattlesnake? That’s the question Rattlesnake Awareness Day was designed to answer.
The event, put on by Fresno Chaffee Zoo and California Poison Control was held on Friday, and included the unveiling of a a rattlesnake display in the zoo’s reptile house.
Rattlesnake bites can be deadly, and zoo officials say this event was to make the public aware that rattlesnakes are in the area.
“We need to be careful about where we’re putting our hands, our feet, when we’re out hiking, just to make sure we can avoid being bitten by a snake,” explained Steven Sharp with Fresno Chaffee Zoo.
According to zoo officials, a rattlesnake bite can produce extreme pain and swelling at the bite location, excessive bleeding, nausea, swelling in the mouth and throat making it difficult to breathe, lightheadedness, drooling, collapse and shock. In rare cases, a bite can also be fatal.
“Be aware that rattlesnakes are a part of nature. They belong in the environment, they’re there. They serve a purpose. They’re a part of the ecology of that environment. So things eat them and they eat other things. And without them in the environment, that removes a piece of that and it can cause problems.
Zoo officials add that not having rattlesnakes could cause problems that could trickle down and affect the local ecosystem.
For members of the public who are bit by a rattlesnake, the advice is to go straight to the hospital.
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