A seven-year-old girl was taken to the hospital Wednesday afternoon after being bitten by a rattlesnake in Santa Barbara County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 3 p.m. at Paradise Campground off of Paradise Road east of Highway 154 in the Los Padres National Forest.
Santa Barbara County Fire Captain Dave Zaniboni said a small rattlesnake bit the girl on her calf.
First responders with American Medical Response took the girl to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
Capt. Zaniboni said the girl’s condition was stable at the campground but he did not have any other information on her condition at the hospital.
Rick Nielson, a civil engineering technician with the Santa Barbara Ranger District who is sometimes called upon to relocate rattlesnakes, offers this advice on rattlesnake encounters:
- Don’t do any harm to it
- Don’t place your hands or feet into areas you cannot see, i.e. hollow logs, rock crevices, etc.
- Before sitting down, survey the surrounding area carefully
- Don’t camp near piles of brush, rock or other debris
- If possible, avoid walking at night: they are particularly active at that time
- Avoid disturbing the snake, as an agitated snake is apt to inject more venom
