TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT (Florida) 11 October 07 Rattlesnake bites woman at gardens (Tabitha Yang)
A Tallahassee woman was bitten by a rattlesnake Wednesday at Maclay Gardens and taken to the hospital for treatment, the Tallahassee Police Department said.
Lelani Morgan, 27, was walking outside a small walled garden in the park when she stepped on the snake. It bit her on the foot, Park Manager Beth Weidner said. She is expected to recover.
Morgan took a picture of the snake with her cell-phone camera and then called 911. A park employee saw her sitting on the walkway and directed emergency-medical workers to her. She is expected to recover.
Assistant Park Manager Robert Lacy saw the picture of the snake and is 90-percent sure it was a pygmy rattler. He looked for the snake but couldn't find it.
"It was scared enough to bite her," Lacy said. "It probably crawled away pretty quickly."
The woman seemed to handle the situation well, Weidner said.
"She was, understandably, feeling somewhat anxious, but she seemed pretty calm under the circumstances," Weidner said.
Pygmy rattlesnakes are common throughout Florida. They are known for having feisty dispositions and being quick to strike. Their bites produce pain and swelling, which usually goes away in a few days. No deaths from pygmy bites have been recorded in the state, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Rattlesnake bites woman at gardens