BILLINGS — As temperatures rise across Billings, rattlesnakes are becoming more active. Montana is home to 10 different species of snakes, but only one carries a venomous bite: the rattlesnake.
Chrissy Webb with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks says the region is squarely in rattlesnake country, and that knowledge is your best defense.
Watch officials talk about rattlesnakes:
"The landscape in and around Billings, it's not unlikely to run into a rattlesnake, really," Webb said Thursday.
"Give them a lot of space so they can, you know, get away from you. 'Cause that's really all they're looking to do is get away from a human," Webb said.
While seeing a rattlesnake is not out of the ordinary in the area, getting bitten is rare. Dr. Andrew Regoli with Billings Clinic says the entire state of Montana sees only around 20 rattlesnake bites each year.
"Rattlesnakes, you know, aren't inherently aggressive towards humans," Webb said.
But if a bite does occur, knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do. Regoli says to remove any tight jewelry or clothing from the affected area immediately and to get to medical attention as fast as possible.
"Avoid constriction. Don't try to suck venom out or perform an incision to try to drain it out or anything like that. And no compression or tourniquet, anything like that," Regoli said.
Regoli says venom can rapidly affect tissue and blood flow near the bite site.
"At the site, it can cause some of the skin to die if it's near a joint. It can cause a joint infection, secondary infections and things like that. Issues with blood flow, basically," Regoli said.
Prevention, however, starts before you ever hit the trail. Webb recommends wearing boots or closed-toed shoes and long pants for added protection.
"Wearing boots or closed-toed shoes, long pants is also more ideal just for, you know, a little bit more protection if a snake were to bite you," Webb said.
Dog owners should take extra precautions. Because dogs tend to wander off trail and investigate their surroundings, they can face a slightly higher risk of an encounter.
"Dogs can be at a slightly more risk because they're just investigating a little bit more, potentially off the trail a little bit more than humans are," Webb said.
As summer temperatures continue to climb, the chances of crossing paths with a rattlesnake will increase — but Webb says that should not keep anyone indoors.
"It shouldn't stop anyone from getting outside and, you know, responsibly enjoying our outdoors that we have in Montana," Webb said.
