DETROIT (AP) — An apparent increase in the number of people and pets being bitten by Michigan’s only venomous snake species is stoking fears among some residents in the state’s Lower Peninsula about the small, shy rattlesnake.

The Detroit News reports that the eastern massasauga rattlesnake has had an uncharacteristically busy year, delivering what appears to be more bites than usual.

“Just from my gut, it seems there are more bites than there have been in the past,” said Jeff Jundt, the curator for reptiles at the Detroit Zoo.

The zoo, which carries anti-venom, typically provides the medication once a year to hospitals for use in emergencies. But Jundt said so far this year he’s sent it three times.

State officials don’t track rattlesnake bites, although they are normally rare.

But this year, there’s been a string of them — in Orion Township, Highland Recreation Area and Flushing. At least seven times in the past five months, eastern massasaugas have bitten people or their pets, sending worried families to hospitals or veterinarian offices.

And Poison Control at Children’s Hospital of Michigan has this year received reports of at least four human bites.

None of those encounters has resulted in a death, but experts said the number of occurrences is out of the ordinary.

Logan Coleman’s family was sent into a panic in late August after the 7-year-old was bitten by an eastern massasauga in their yard in Spring Arbor Township, just west of Jackson.

“He came running back into the house yelling, ‘Mom, come out here and see what bit me — you’ve gotta see.’ He was screaming at the top of his lungs,” Kimberly Coleman, the boy’s mother, told The Detroit News.

Logan was bitten on his left index finger and the area was beginning to swell and harden.

A neighbor helped catch the snake in a bucket and the family raced to a nearby clinic where doctors identified the snake and transferred Logan to an Ann Arbor hospital that carried the anti-venom.

The youngster spent one night at the hospital, taking the anti-venom through an intravenous drip. Today, he bears no ill effects from the encounter, but his mother now occasionally patrols the yard when her son is outside.

The venom produced by the eastern massasauga is not a neurotoxin that causes paralysis, as in many snakes, but it damages tissues around the bite site. If untreated, it can be fatal in young or old people, as well as adults in poor health.

The apparent rise in rattlesnake encounters may be due to this year’s warm autumn — the snakes are most active spring to fall.

With warmer temperatures, the rattlesnakes are delaying their fall hibernation and enjoying extra time sunning themselves, said Chris Hoving, the endangered species coordinator with the state Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

The eastern massasauga is Michigan’s only rattlesnake and is found all across the Lower Peninsula in areas that include wetlands. At its largest, it grows to just under 3 feet, making it one of the smallest rattlesnake species.

Hoving said the snake’s defensive rattle produces a higher-pitched sound than humans might expect from a rattler.

“It tends to sound like an insect buzzing,” he said.

Due to the loss of wetlands where the snakes make their homes, the eastern massasauga’s numbers have diminished significantly. It is now protected by law in Michigan and is under consideration for endangered species designation by the federal government.

via Mich. Seeing Apparent Rise in Rattlesnake Bites.

CUYAMACA, Calif — A 67-year-old La Jolla man died from a rattlesnake bite he suffered while wading through an East Country stream as part of a trout study near Cuyamaca Reservoir, it was reported Saturday.

William “Skip” Price, reportedly an avid fly fisherman, was wearing water sandals when he was bitten on one foot by the rattler along Boulder Creek Wednesday, Gary Strawn of Santee, one of five people with Price, told The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Strawn said Price stopped breathing within minutes, and he and others performed CPR for about 20 minutes until paramedics arrived.

A sheriff’s helicopter took Price to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, where he was declared dead about 1 p.m., according to the county Medical Examiner’s Office.

Strawn, conservation chairman of San Diego Fly Fishers, said he met Price that morning when they and four other fly-fishing volunteers carpooled out Boulder Creek Road, in the Pine Hills area northeast of Cuyamaca Reservoir, to take part in a study of native steelhead trout.

Price was bitten within minutes of starting the survey as he stepped over logs and boulders along the streambed, Strawn said.

Strawn said he never saw the snake, “but it must have been a big one. The bite marks on top of his foot were an inch and a half across.”

via La Jolla Man Dies From Rattlesnake Bite In East County – San Diego News Story – KGTV San Diego.

SAN DIEGO (CBS – It all happened so fast. One moment 67-year-old William “Skip” Price was taking part in a volunteer fishing project, and the next he was fighting for his life.

The rattlesnake attack happened in the East County community of Pine Hills on Boulder Creek Road along Boulder Creek.

“I think we did the best we could, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough,” friend Gary Strawn said.

It’s a scene he says he plays over and over again in his head — administering CPR to his fellow fly fisherman William Price just moments after being bitten by a rattlesnake.

“You could see the bite marks on the top of his foot, and they were about an inch and a half apart, so that’s a pretty good sized snake,” Strawn said.

William, whose nickname was “Skip”, was walking along the shoreline at Boulder Creek getting ready to collect samples for a volunteer genetic trout clipping project when Gary says what looked like a western diamondback rattlesnake slithered its way onto his foot. Within minutes, the 67-year-old La Jolla man was unconscious and then stopped breathing.

“Wayne kept telling us to keep watching his feet to see if the coloring was coming back and if we could keep his extremities pink instead of blue it meant we were probably getting some blood flow out there,” Strawn said.

The longtime member of the Golden State Flycasters group was airlifted to Palomar Medical Center, but later died. Skip’s widow tells News 8 her husband was a gentle giant whose passion for fishing was only matched by the love he had for his family.

His friends at GSF say Skip was a devoted conservationist and enjoyed teaching local Boy Scout groups how to fly fish.

While the medical examiner has yet to determine the official cause of death, Strawn says he plans to return to Boulder Creek to finish the work Skip started.

“It’s gonna be difficult for me to get up there, but I hope we can continue to do what we can to maintain this great waterway we have,” he said.

via San Diego man dies after being bitten by rattlesnake – San Diego, California Talk Radio Station – 760 KFMB AM – 760kfmb.

Tampa, FL — Jacob Hyatt, 8, was playing outside his home this afternoon when he was bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake.

The boy says he was bitten by the snake when he moved a rock to grab a rope that was hanging in the tree. He was transported by ground to University Community Hospital where he is listed in good condition.

University Community Hospital tells us that Jacob is their 8th patient this year that is being treated for a snake bite. Last year, the hospital set a record by treating 15 patients.

Jacob is expected to be released later this evening.

via 8-year-old bitten by pygmy rattlesnake | Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Sarasota | WTSP.com 10 News.

Orion Township — An Orion Township man bitten by an eastern massasauga rattlesnake, Michigan’s only venomous snake, is recovering after being treated with anti-venom at a local hospital and released Friday evening.

The unidentified man was walking with his beagle in the woods behind his home around 6:45 p.m. when he was bitten, according to Sgt. Mark Buffa of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

Beaumont Hospital spokeswoman Karen LeDuc said the man was brought in shortly after the bite.

“He was treated by an anti-venom we received from the Detroit Zoo, and released,” she said.

Buffa said the man’s dog was bit first. When he “came up to investigate, he got bit,” Buffa said.

The dog’s condition was unclear late Friday.

The eastern massasauga rattlesnake is found in a variety of wetlands and woods throughout the lower peninsula.

It is the only Michigan snake with segmented rattles on the end of its tail and elliptical (“cat like”) vertical pupils in the eyes. The neck is narrow, contrasting with the wide head and body, and the head appears triangular in shape. It usually feeds on small rodents and frogs, and adults can grow to 2

to 3

feet long.

Friday’s incident marks the third snake bite involving an eastern massasauga rattlesnake in a month.

A dog was bitten by one in late September and also treated with anti-venom from the Detroit Zoo.

via Man recovering after rattlesnake bite | detnews.com | The Detroit News.

Orion Township — An Orion Township man walking with his beagle in the woods behind his home was bitten by an Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, Michigan’s only venomous snake.

Sgt. Mark Buffa of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said the bite happened around 6:45 p.m. The man was taken to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.

“He was treated by an anti-venom we received from the Detroit Zoo, and released,” said hospital spokeswoman Karen LeDuc.

Buffa said the beagle was bitten first and when the man “came up to investigate, he got bit.”

The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake is found in a variety of wetlands and woods throughout the Lower Peninsula. It is the only Michigan snake with segmented rattles on the end of its tail and elliptical (“cat like”) vertical pupils in the eyes. The neck is narrow, contrasting with the wide head and body and the head appears triangular in shape, according to www.tamssunshinehouse.com’s page on Michigan snakes. It usually feeds on small rodents and frogs.

The incident Friday marks the second rattlesnake attack in a month. A dog was bitten by a rattlesnake in late September and also was treated by the anti-venom from the Detroit Zoo.

via Oakland County man, dog bitten by rattlesnake | detnews.com | The Detroit News.

TAMPA — Doctors expect an 8-year-old boy bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake Friday afternoon to make a full recovery.

“He only had one fang wound to his hand, and he wasn’t envenomated,” said Will Darnall, a spokesman for University Community Hospital, where the boy was taken. Doctors plan to observe the boy for 12 hours before releasing him, Darnall said.

Jacob Hyatt tried to move a large rock to get his rope untangled from a tree branch, when the pygmy rattlesnake lunged and planted its fang in his right hand, Darnall said.

The Turner Elementary third-grader ran home to 20112 Indian Rosewood Drive to tell his mother he’d been bitten.

When Tampa Fire Rescue arrived just before 4 p.m., paramedics found the snake and killed it before rushing Jacob to UCH-Fletcher.

Jacob’s mother, Theresa, still has the reptile.

She told the hospital that there have been poisonous snakes spotted all over their neighborhood, Hammocks at Grand Hampton in New Tampa, recently.

Darnall said the hospital has treated eight snakebite victims so far this year, compared to last year’s total of 15.

“It’s a good thing he wasn’t envenomated,” Darnall said. “The best-case scenario is not to be bitten at all, but this is the second-best-case scenario.”

via Pygmy rattlesnake bites New Tampa third-grader – St. Petersburg Times.

A Pflugerville family is planning a funeral for their toddler who died Wednesday after a rattlesnake bit her.

Kammy Hood and her two children were on a playground near Possum Kingdom Lake west of Fort Worth Tuesday night when 1-year-old Peyton began to cry.

Over the phone, Hood told KEYE TV’s Erika Gonzalez that she ran to the child who was on the steps of a slide.

Hood says almost instantly her baby girl went limp, turned blue and started to vomit. One of Peyton’s ankles was bleeding.

Moments later, she saw a small rattlesnake.  It had already bit the child twice.

The snake was killed and the child was air lifted to Cooks Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth.  She received anti-venom but died early Wednesday morning.

Funeral services for the child will be held in Wichita Falls this Saturday.

via Pflugerville child dies after rattlesnake bite – WeAreAustin.com.

A toddler from the Austin area has died after being bitten by a rattlesnake while visiting Possum Kingdom Lake with her family.

Peyton Hood of Pflugerville died early Wednesday, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office. She would have turned 2 next month.

The Palo Pinto County Sheriff’s department says deputies received a call Tuesday night from a woman saying her granddaughter had suffered a snake bite on the south side of the lake, which is about 70 miles west of Fort Worth.

The girl was taken to a Fort Worth hospital, where she died.

Two or three people die of snakebites each year in Texas, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

By comparison, five to seven people die each year from reaction to insect bites and about eight die each year from lightning strikes, according to the agency.

“This is something we come across every once in a while,” said Capt. Neal Bieler of the game wardens’ Fort Worth office. “Cottonmouths, copperheads and diamondbacks are all over the state, so you just need to be aware of your surroundings.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest keeping the victim still and calm to slow the spread of the venom and calling 911 immediately.

via Toddler dies from snake bite at Possum Kingdom Lake | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Breaking News for Dallas-Fort Worth | Dallas Morning News.

The pain is unbearable. He does not much feel like talking, but Darian Baehler knows he is lucky to have his left foot. A rattlesnake bit his leg not once, but twice. He has had two surgeries, so far, to relieve pressure from the swelling. He was moved from intensive care to intermediate care at University Medical Center Brackenridge Tuesday afternoon.

Darian’s father, Todd Baehler, said, “It’s just unbelievable. I could not believe a snake bite could do this much damage. He’s going to be in the hospital another week or so. He’s going to have physical therapy, he’s going to have plastic surgery, he’s going to have a lot of problems.”

It happened Friday, when Baehler and a group of kids were headed home down a wooded path near Southwest Regional Park in Williamson County. His sister Nicole says it got dark all of the sudden. One of their friends unknowingly stepped over a rattlesnake. Soon they all knew.

“It was really loud,” Nicole Baehler said. “Like, you know, like moraccas or whatever, that’s what it sounded like.

Game warden Turk Jones says dusk and dark in the summer are prime time for snakes.

“They’re gonna be out in the evening, 9 o’clock, 10 o’clock, the time those kids were walking through here,” Jones said.

Six-year-old Carson Perreault was also in the group. “I wouldn’t have survived it,” Perrault said

Doctors agree, which strikes a chord with Todd Baehler.

“That was scary to me because people walk their dogs back there. People ride their bikes back there,” Baehler said.

Doctors at UMC Brackenridge say they see 40-50 snake bites a year, mostly during the summer months. They say rattlesnake anti-venom runs about $2,000 a vial. Baehler had to have 33 vials. Doctors say that the anti-venom can mean the difference between keeping and losing a limb, and in some cases, life and death. That is why they say anyone who is the victim of a snake bite, no matter how minor, should seek emergency medical treatment.

via Teenager fighting to keep his foot after rattlesnake bites | kvue.com | KVUE News | Austin, TX | Breaking News.