California county records sixth person bitten by rattlesnake in under a month | California
A sixth person was bitten by a rattlesnake in less than a month in Southern California’s Ventura County; That’s two-thirds of the number of people bitten in all of 2025.
Ventura County Fire Marshal spokesman Andrew Dowd said paramedics responded to a call Sunday for a man bitten by a rattlesnake. The victim said he was bitten near California State University Channel Islands.
The victim was transported to the hospital with antidote and was in stable condition Sunday. In 2025, nine rattlesnake bites were recorded in the county.
There have been two deaths from rattlesnake bites in Southern California this year. On March 14, a 46-year-old woman died after being bitten by a rattlesnake while hiking in Wildwood regional park. In Orange County, 25-year-old Julian Hernandez died after being bitten while riding his bike near the Quail Hill Trail Start on March 4.
“We’ve seen a warmer spring than previous years, we’ve had heavy rains this winter, and this is a time when snakes are generally out and people are enjoying the outdoors on the trails,” Dowd said.
California recorded an unseasonably warm streak of 80F and 90F in March; This may also have pushed snakes onto the roads earlier and heavy rains in January and February augmented The number of small rodents they usually eat.
Statewide, the California Poison Control System is reporting an increase in calls regarding rattlesnake bites. In the first three months of 2026, the system reported 77 rattlesnake bite calls. reports Los Angeles Times. Typically, the system receives 200-300 calls each year regarding rattlesnakes, the only venomous snake native to California, with the number peaking from April through October.
Jeffrey Suchard, an emergency room physician and medical toxicologist at UCI Health. says “Death from a rattlesnake bite is extremely rare.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention records between 7,000 and 8,000 bites in the United States each year, with only five fatalities.
The higher-than-usual number of rattlesnake bites in Southern California “underscores the importance of staying safe and following some very basic safety tips while out here enjoying the great outdoors,” Dowd said.
He recommends hikers stay on clearly marked trails, avoid areas of tall grass and brush, wear hiking boots and long pants, and carry a fully charged cell phone and spare battery so you can call 911.
“If someone is bitten by a snake,” he said, you should “try to remain calm and limit your movements” to slow the spread of venom and call 911 immediately.
