{"id":245465,"date":"2026-03-31T19:01:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T19:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/245465\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T19:01:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T19:01:15","slug":"snake-sightings-in-kern-county-are-starting-earlier-this-year-experts-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/245465\/","title":{"rendered":"Snake sightings in Kern County are starting earlier this year, experts say"},"content":{"rendered":"

BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK\/KBFX) \u2014 Snake sightings are starting earlier than usual this year across Kern County, with residents reporting encounters in backyards and along hiking trails with both venomous and non-venomous snakes.<\/p>\n

\"Coachwhip<\/p>\n

Coachwhip snake periscoping. (Photo: Melissa Storti)<\/p>\n

Melissa Storti of Storti\u2019s Wildlife Control in Tehachapi said snakes in Kern County can serve as \u201cnature’s pest control,\u201d and that seeing one \u201cdoesn\u2019t automatically mean trouble,\u201d but people should know how to respond and give snakes space.<\/p>\n

Storti identified the Northern Pacific rattlesnake as a venomous snake. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you hear a rattle, you don’t just take off running out of fear,\u201d Storti said. \u201cThe best thing to do is stop, look, and observe where the snake is, and then back away slowly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Storti said snakes are emerging from \u201cgroomation\u201d in Kern County. <\/p>\n

\u201cGroomation is a type of hibernation. That’s snakes will put themselves in during the colder months,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\"(Photo:<\/p>\n

(Photo: Ashly and Daniel Buschman)<\/p>\n

Storti added that \u201cweather conditions right now are perfect\u201d and that \u201cboth snakes and people are out and about at the same time,\u201d noting Kern County\u2019s hiking trails are drawing people outdoors.<\/p>\n

Storti said residents may encounter both venomous and non-venomous snakes in the region. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe venomous snakes that you will encounter in this region would be the Northern Pacific rattlesnake,\u201d she said, adding that non-venomous snakes include \u201cyour gopher snakes, California king snakes, coach whips, uh, glossy snakes, night snakes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Non-venomous snakes are harmless but can resemble rattlesnakes, which is why experts recommend calling a professional rather than trying to handle a snake. <\/p>\n

\u201cMost residents will want to go ahead and take matters into their own hands, but what you’re doing is you’re not only dispatching a snake that is very valuable to our ecosystem,\u201d Storti said. \u201cYou may be putting yourself at risk or in danger in the event that it is a venomous snake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"snake<\/p>\n

snake KBAK 15 May 2018.jpg<\/p>\n

If a snake is found in or around a home, residents are urged to give it space and contact a professional. In the rare case of a bite, guidance included staying calm, keeping the area still, removing tight jewelry, and never cutting the wound, trying to suck out venom, or using a tourniquet. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd call 911 or seek medical attention immediately,\u201d Storti said.<\/p>\n

For more information about Storti\u2019s Wildlife Control, including services and contact details, visit their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK\/KBFX) \u2014 Snake sightings are starting earlier than usual this year across Kern County, with residents reporting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":245466,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,153,152],"class_list":["post-245465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245465"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245465\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/245466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}