![]() ![]() “Or if someone is with you, have them get help while you stay there.” “Walk calmly, if that’s possible, to find cell service and call for help if you’re alone,” she said. She said contrary to what most people think, most adults can survive a rattlesnake bite without medical care - though this is certainly not recommended. “The days of cutting a wound open and sucking out the venom are long gone,” Fleming said. In the unlikely event of a bite, chill out.įleming said the Devil’s Backbone and most of the connected trails to the north have decent cell service where people can call for help, and emergency crews can access most all places on the trail within 20-30 minutes of a call. (Liz Stageberg / Special to the Reporter-Herald) Got bit? Do this: A rattlesnake is seen on Hidden Valley Trail at the Devil’s Backbone Open Space on Sunday, June 2, 2019. Instead, report snakes to trail staff, who can catch snakes and relocate them to places away from the public access. She added that snakes have a key role in the food chain at the Devil’s Backbone, and visitors should only kill snakes if they believe they are in immediate danger of a bite. Likewise, visitors should check their surroundings before pausing to sit down or take a photo. With that in mind, people usually hear snakes before they see them, and runners, hikers and cyclists with personal music should leave one earbud out while on the trails. “People should talk to their kids about it, and tell them to avoid it or point it out to parents.” “That rattler is their primary defense,” Fleming said. For the same reasons children should be kept close and away from anything that rattles, and people should warn others on the trail about a sighted rattlesnake. The Devil’s Backbone only allows leashed dogs, largely due to the possibility of a snake biting a curious dog, Fleming said. “Otherwise, they’re pretty lethargic,” she said. She said one year, a mountain biker suffered an ankle bite while riding, when he didn’t see a snake until it was under his bike. She said most bites happen when a snake is actively provoked by a child or dog, or when someone unknowingly steps on or rides over it. “They don’t want to waste their venom, but they will attack to defend themselves. “They’re smart enough to know you’re not prey,” Fleming said. ![]() Though very rare, a high density of snakes in a single area could be the due to the presence of a hibernaculum, or a group of snakes nesting together. Moreover, people usually report singles or pairs of rattlers, but rarely any more in a single area. ![]() Prairie rattlers, the Backbone’s variety of venomous snakes, usually hide in shaded areas under rocks and vegetation, but enjoy sunning in the open, for instance, in the middle of a clean-cut trail. Steve Gibson/Larimer County Department of Natural Resources) A prairie rattlesnake basks in the sun at Devil’s Backbone Open Space in Larimer County in 2014. This year, she said, the first sighting happened in March. She said an average of less than one bite occurs each year, and the most sightings happen between May and September, when the weather warms up. Population-wise, they’re very healthy.”įleming noted that some years seem to yield more sightings than others, though Larimer County Natural Resources doesn’t keep hard data on the number of sightings or bites. “They’re starting to eat again, they’re hungry. “It’s definitely that time of year,” Fleming told the Reporter-Herald Wednesday. Operations manager for the Devil’s Backbone, Chis Fleming, said while sightings and bites prove rare, trailgoers should know they may not be alone when embarking on a hike, bike ride or run. Rattlesnake season has unofficially started at the Devil’s Backbone Open Space, with a few sightings reported this past weekend. ![]()
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