SNAKE SEASON
Summer is snake season. Here are some things you should know before venturing into rattler country
What do you do if you’re caught at the wrong end of a rattler?
The longer “warm” season in New Mexico means a longer active season for wildlife — including those for which having an encounter can be dangerous to your health.
Venomous snakes in New Mexico include the prairie, western diamondback, rock, Mojave, black-tailed, ridge-nosed and massasauga rattlesnakes and the coral snake. Snakes seek shelter from the sun under rocks and bushes, and in caves and animal burrows. At night, when it’s cooler, snakes become active, hunting their prey.
Treatment for rattlesnake bikes this year is up nearly 15 percent from this time last year, according to the New Mexico Poison & Drug Information Center. And while taking precautions to avoid snakes is a good thing, a bit of preparation in case of a bite is even better, says Jacqueline Kakos, an educator with the poison control center.
According to the center, August is New Mexico‘s peak month for rattlesnake bites. Last year, 59 bites were reported in 17 New Mexico counties. “Poisonings, including rattlesnake bites, are the second-leading cause of unintentional injury death in New Mexico,” Kakos says. “Last year, we took nearly 24,000 calls from people of all ages in all types of poisoning situations.”
Bernalillo County accounted for about 25 percent of them, but Doña Ana, Eddy, San Juan and Santa Fe counties had their share.
“There’s so much bad information out there about how to respond to a rattlesnake bite in the field,” Kakos says. “Slicing open tissue at the bite site and sucking out the venom does no good, nor does applying a tourniquet. In fact, they can make things worse. The best reaction to a bite is to keep calm (and still) and dial 911.”
One of the best “field tools” for information, she says, is a smartphone app called SnakeBite911.
The SnakeBite911 app offers emergency support for snakebites, including a quick-dial 911 feature, a checklist of actions to avoid, a timestamped venom tracker and a hospital locator for the quickest access to antivenin.
The app, available through Apple’s App Store and Google Play, also offers important information about rattlesnakes and other North American pit vipers, including how to identify them and how to avoid being bitten. There’s even a snake sighting map to show (and add) local sightings.
In addition to the app, text “vcard toxic” to 313131 and download the New Mexico Poison & Drug Information Center contact information.
“It only takes a minute, and you’ve created instant access to poison experts in an emergency situation,” Kakos says. “If you have the poison center number and this new app in your cellphone, you’re well equipped with the latest information for emergency support for a rattlesnake bite.”
She also urges people to always be aware of surrounding and avoid getting too close to piles of rocks or holes in the ground. “Use a walking stick to sweep the path in front of you when going through high grass or brush,” she says.
Long pants and boots that cover the ankles will also help protect your lower legs in case of a strike.
In addition to the consumer version, “SnakeBite911 FR” is designed for first responders, adding to the consumer version a checklist of actions to avoid, pre-treatment steps to take and a venom tracker feature. “SnakeBite911 ER” for emergency room health care professionals adds even more features, like a treatment algorithm, alerts for next treatment steps and more.