Visitors to a well-known park in Ventura County, California are being urged to stay cautious after a fatal rattlesnake bite involving a local hiker.
Officials say Gabriela Bautista, 46, of Moorpark was hiking in Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks around midday on March 14 when she was bitten by a rattlesnake. Emergency crews transported her by helicopter to a hospital, but she died five days later due to complications from rattlesnake venom poisoning, according to the Ventura County Medical Examiner.
Fire officials in Ventura County report that rattlesnake encounters appear to be increasing in the area. Since March 14, four bites have been reported, nearly half of the nine total incidents recorded during the entire previous year. Experts say warmer weather expected in the coming weeks could make the snakes more active.
Bautista’s case was followed by another incident in the same region. On March 20, a teenage cyclist fell from her bike and was bitten by a rattlesnake but survived after being treated with antivenom. In a separate case earlier this month, a 25-year-old man in Orange County died after suffering a rattlesnake bite in February.
Wildlife specialists advise hikers and cyclists to keep a safe distance from snakes encountered on trails. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 7,000 and 8,000 people in the United States are bitten by venomous snakes each year, though only about five of those cases result in death.