SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico (KTSM) — Two youths in Sunland Park, New Mexico, were bitten by rattlesnakes on Thursday, August 3, and sent to the hospital in two separate incidents.
The Sunland Park Fire Department responded to the first call after midnight to a home in Sunland Park where a 17-year-old girl had reached for a baby rattlesnake and was bit on her hand.
The second call came after 8 a.m. where a 11-year-old boy also reached for a rattlesnake and was bit on the hand.
Both the 17-year-old and 11-year-old were transported to hospitals that have anti-venom.
The Sunland Park Fire Department is warning the community to not reach for snakes and what to do if you are bitten.
“People will see like on the old Western movies, you know, cowboy will cut open a rattlesnake bite and suck the venom out. That’s exactly what we don’t want to do. Don’t put ice on it and call 9-1-1. Whether it’s in New Mexico or in El Paso because we have contact with the hospitals and we’re able to verify whether they still have anti-venom,” explained Chief Daniel Medrano with the Sunland Park Fire Department.
Medrano said the back-to-back bites are unusual, and the Fire Department tends to only see one or two bites per year.
He added that rattlesnakes tend to come out in the early morning and late evening because they don’t like the heat of the day.
Medrano said the Sunland Park Fire Department will go and remove snakes from your home.
