snake season

digits more often than not many are choosing to enjoy the outdoors in the late evening. but for those of you who like to hike or take your pets out for a walk — beware. the warmer weather also means it’s snake season. would you know what to do if you or your pet suffered a bite? abc-7’s jerry najera has tonight’s special report … only on abc-7. summer can be a great time to explore outdoors. once the sun begins to set the temperature can be just right for a hike or taking the dog out for a walk. “i go for runs, i go for walks, it’s fresh and i enjoy it more” but the warm weather means snakes are about. “did you know it was snake season? no i didn’t” “the mo common snake that i run into and the most common removed from yards are western diamond backs” las cruces herpetologist frank bryce has worked across the nation with the u.s. fish and wild life service. he is the man las crucens call when they find a snake in their yard. bryce showed me just how common rattlesnakes are in the borderland. within 5 minutes he was alerted there was a snake nearby. it’s a small 3 foot diamond back rattle snake but don’t let the size fool you. “you don’t want to get bit by this guy but you don’t want to smash your finger with a hammer either” bryce’s has some simple tips to avoid snakes. “always carry a light and watch were you put your hands and feet and watch were you sit down” bryce says you should avoid walking close to bushes or crevaces with large holes. but what if you get bit? “a rattle snake bite should be taken very seriously” dr michael payne is assistant medical director of the emergency department at las palmas. he says there are two essential things you should do. “if you’re in remote are by yourself call 911 as soon as you can” payne says the faster you can get treatment the better the outcome. “the sooner you can get medical attention the sooner they can activate the system needed to get sufficient quantities to treat your wound” payne is talkin about the antivenin crofab. the treatment is stored in special coolers throughout the city and is delivered to hospitals only when need. the next tip could be the hardest. “the best thing that you can do is try to remain calm the best that you can” payne says yo want to avoid getting your heart rate up and spreading the venom through your body. so what about the advice dad gave you back in the day? “tak whatevers near me and tie it” “just wrap it around tha area” “and then start suck and spit out the venom” payne says wrapping a tournicate around the bite can concentrate the venom in one area and cause more damage to muscles and skin. and how about pets? “the sooner the animal gets treatment the more than likely it’s going to survive” grey tells me treating your pet for a snake bite could come at a cost. “there is an antiveni available it’s extremely expensive so most owners cant afford that” there is also a vaccine available but it’s still not 100 percent effective. as for bryce he says he’ll continue rounding them up and releasing them in the wild. “we are losing habitat all the time and this just happens to be part of our eco system and they are super super common and we just got to learn to live with them”s a dose of antivenen for pets can cost more than a thousand dollars. the cost of crofab –the human antivenin in some cases can cost more than 10- thousand dollars. we’re seein another i-10 closure right now… but not exactly what was scheduled. tex-dot was