A painter working at an apartment complex nearly stepped on a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake that was coiled beside an air conditioning unit. Startled, the snake retreated into a rodent burrow beneath the concrete pad, where it was safely out of reach. When Marissa arrived, she carefully encouraged the snake to emerge by introducing water into the burrow. After about 20 minutes, the rattlesnake finally came out far enough to be safely captured, pausing several times along the way to take long drinks of water. With the complex built directly against a nature preserve, it’s no surprise that native wildlife occasionally finds its way into developed areas. The snake was relocated to suitable habitat within its native range.
