A Calabasas family received a frightening reminder that dangerous wildlife encounters are not limited to hiking trails or remote wilderness areas after a rattlesnake was found hiding in a backyard play area among children’s toys.<\/p>\n
What happened?<\/p>\n
In his own yard, Los Angeles cinematographer Hugo Will<\/a> (@hugo_willl) came across a venomous snake in the part of the backyard his children use.<\/p>\n Video<\/a> from the scene showed Los Angeles County firefighters at the home around 6 p.m., using a grabber to remove the rattlesnake.<\/p>\n Will shared the footage on Instagram, and the New York Post<\/a> reported that he said the experience left him shaken.<\/p>\n “Imagining finding a rattlesnake in your kid’s backyard among all the toys that kids interact with? Still in shock. Luckily the kids weren’t home. Everything could have turned a very bad way. Stay alert,” he wrote in the post’s caption.<\/p>\n The incident comes after another serious California rattlesnake emergency in May<\/a>.<\/p>\n While visiting family in Lake Oroville, Idaho, father of three Christopher Howarth was bitten twice after mistaking the snake for a plant in a shadowed area.<\/p>\n “I got bit twice, and one of the bites, where it was, was kind of shallow, but the other one got my vein,” Howarth told SFGate<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why does it matter?<\/p>\n Rattlesnake encounters can turn dangerous quickly, particularly for children and pets.<\/p>\n In Howarth’s case, Oroville Hospital gave him 54 vials of antivenom, then sent him to Stanford Hospital for more after its supply ran out.<\/p>\n The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says the state has seven rattlesnake species.<\/p>\n The agency also says people should stay alert outside, steer clear of dense vegetation, and inspect rocks, stumps, and logs before sitting in brushy spots.<\/p>\n Suburban development, backyard landscaping, and play spaces built near native habitat can create more opportunities for snakes to end up in the same places where families live.<\/p>\n What can I do?<\/p>\n Treat yards, patios, and play areas the same way you would treat a trail in snake country: look first, then step in.<\/p>\n That means checking around toys, garden edges, wood piles, rocks, and shaded corners before children or pets go outside.<\/p>\n The California Department of Fish and Wildlife also says pets should stay leashed near bushes and brush, since animals often investigate with their noses first.<\/p>\n A motionless or seemingly dead snake may still deliver venom, making it risky to try to move one without professional help.<\/p>\n Get TCD’s free newsletters<\/a> for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here<\/a>.<\/p>\n