Rattlesnakes sightings being reported earlier than normal

CLAYTON, Calif. - Reptile experts are reporting an uptick in rattlesnake sightings for this time of the year in the North Bay.

"With it being less rainy this year, and a little warmer, we’ve had earlier calls this year," said Al Wolf, director of non-profit Sonoma County Reptile Rescue. Wolf helped remove nine snakes from homes on Tuesday.

Last week, Janet Keane of Clayton bumped into a baby rattlesnake in Mount Diablo State Park, while hiking with her husband.

"We hightailed it down the mountain. We sure did," said Keane.

It's only the second time the couple has ever spotted a rattlesnake.

"I thought where there’s a baby, there’s gonna be a momma, and maybe other siblings so we were like I think this is the end of our day," said Keane.

Over the last few weeks, more and more people have been taking to social media to post about rattlesnake sightings. Experts say climate change is partly to blame.

"If we don’t get a change in our weather, we’re going to have them in October, November, and December, so almost all year long," said Wolf.

But professional snake catcher Luis Fraser of Reptile Removal says the pandemic has also likely played a role in ratcheting up rattler sightings.

"With more people coming back to their homes to work and not being in the office and the city that much, people tend to come across them more since they’re at home," said Fraser.

Fraser says snakes are more likely to pop up in areas of your yard or garage you don’t frequent.  

"If you’re going to an area that hasn’t been active for a while then you want to be concerned about that. If you’re in your yard that you use all the time, it’s much less likely that a snake is going to go into that area," said Fraser.

Both Fraser and Wolf, remove the snakes humanely through catch and release.

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"You know, you don’t need to kill them, they’re great for the environment, and another neat thing for people to know. You generally don’t die from a rattlesnake bite," said Wolf.

Experts advise, if you do come across a snake, the best think to do is back up slowly. They say that snakes are generally more scared of you, than you are of them.