SUNLAND PARK, NM (KTSM) — The Sunland Park Fire Department responded to its fifth rattlesnake bite this year on Friday, Aug. 25, according to the department’s X social media platform.
Dr. Sarah Watkins, a professor with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso and the medical director for the West Texas Poison Control, said July through September are the busiest months for rattlesnake bites.
“Snakes and humans, unfortunately, tend to like similar weather, similar temperatures. So when we want to go outside and play, so do they,” Watkins said.
El Paso County has seen 25 rattlesnake bites this year, she said.
Sunland Park Fire Chief Daniel Medrano said they do get calls about the removal of snakes.
“We have our tools, just like any snake professional would have, and we relocate them. We take them out into the desert area, away from residents,” Medrano said.
Watkins and Medrano shared the following if you were to get bit by a rattlesnake.
- Take off any rings and bracelets and anything around the bite and your heart
Dr. Watkins said there are three main worries when you get bit by a snake;
- Tissue damage
- Toxicity to the bloodstream
- Neurological effects
“Rattlesnakes can bite more than once, and it doesn’t even have to be days apart. They can bite you twice, just once, right after the the other. And they can inject venom each time,” Watkins said.
You can call Poison Control at 800-222-1222. They are able to take our call 24/7.
