AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS (Phoenix, Arizona) 06 April 05 Experience doesn't keep rattlesnake expert safe (Doug Murphy)

Tim Cronin has been studying and capturing rattlesnakes for half of his 22 years.

But more than a decade of experience didn't help him March 26 when the Ahwatukee Foothills man misjudged the length of a rattler and got bit on his left, middle finger.

"I knew what I was doing, and I still got nailed," Cronin said from Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center on March 29.

"It hurts more than I could ever imagine."

What's worse is Cronin said doctors tell him he might lose his fingertip.

He was bitten near Superior as he was trying to capture the reptile. He says he mostly photographs the creatures, and occasionally uses the hides.

At this time of year rattlesnakes can be seen almost anywhere, lying in the sun, soaking up the warmth.

Almost exactly a year ago Mike LeGault was walking out of his Ahwatukee Foothills home to empty the trash when he heard a suspicious sound.

The Mountain Park Ranch resident looked down to discover a 30-inch long Mohave, one of the more aggressive types of rattlesnakes, coiled near his front door.

According to Jerry Feldner, a volunteer with the Arizona Herpetological Association, rattlesnake safety begins with leaving them alone.

"Don't play with them," he said. "They aren't dangerous unless they bite."

Experts agree that rattlesnakes aren't aggressive and if left alone will slither away.

But rattlesnakes will attack if cornered, startled or if they feel threatened.

And if a rattler does bite, experts say don't waste time cutting the bite to suck out the venom or looking for ice to put on the wound.

"Go to the emergency room," Feldner said.

If a rattlesnake is discovered in a residential area, people can call the Herpetological Association's hotline (480) 894-1625 and they can help to make a positive identification of the snake and an available volunteer will relocate the snake.
http://www.ahwatukee.com/afn/community/articles/05406b.html

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• AZ Press: Experience doesn't keep rattlesnake expert safe - W von Papineäu, Wed Apr 6 09:57:07 2005