KOTA (Rapid City, S Dakota) 10 July 08 Wet spring allows snakes to return to habitat
Our moist spring may make snake encounters a little less likely in towns but it's another story when you hit the trails.
Nine years of drought forced snakes out of their natural habitats and into populated areas where they could more easily find water. Recent rains are allowing them to head back, making encounters more likely on trails in the hills and under rocks near creek beds.
The best thing to do if you run into a rattler, leave it be.
"The only real bites that we get in the united states from rattle snakes are not accidents," said Terry Phillip, curator of Reptile Gardens. "It's when people knew the snake was there, they tried to catch it, kill it, tease it, that sort of thing. So obviously the best thing to do is to leave them alone."
The three most common snakes in KOTA Territory are the garter snake, the bull snake and the prairie rattle snake. The rattler is the only native venomous snake.
If you do cross paths with a snake and get bit, doctors say there's a short list of things you need to do.
Their first advice is to stay calm, elevate the wound and get plenty of fluids.
If you're in the hills and can't get to medical treatment, send a friend to seek help.
Doctors say several symptoms will let you know if the bite came from a venomous snake.
"Pretty quickly you'll start getting swelling around the area and then you'll start feeling shaky and clammy," said Dr. Terry Hinkson of Rapid City Regional Hospital. "Again, rest, fluids, light constriction and then seek medical help as soon as you can."
Two things doctors say to not do are to cut the wound open and to have someone suck out the venom, that could help spread the poison.
Wet spring allows snakes to return to habitat