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<p>HARRISBURG &#8212; It rarely happens, but a 39-year-old Pennsylvania man died this weekend from a rattlesnake bite in Elk County.</p><p>Russell E. Davis, 39, of Freedom was bitten Saturday night near a campfire at a private camp near Medix Run in Elk County, according to published accounts of the incident. He was rushed to a medical facility in St. Mary&#8217;s, was given anti-venom and went into cardiac arrest while being flown to a Pittsburgh hospital.</p><p>It&#8217;s been at least 14 years since a reptile killed a person in Pennsylvania, according to state Department of Health data.</p><p>A pamphlet recently published by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources states that no one had died in Pennsylvania from a rattlesnake bite in more than 25 years.</p><p>DCNR this year has seen more incidents than usual involving snakes and people, according to spokesman Terry Brady. A woman was bitten by a rattlesnake in Poe Valley State Park, a dog was bitten by a timber rattler at Parker Dam in Clearfield County, and two people were bitten by copperheads at Ohiophyle State Park. The copperheads struck when a rafter stepped on one in a rocky area and when a person was walking near the restrooms.</p><p>Venomous snakes each year bite about 7,000 to 8,000 people in the U.S., according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta. Five or six people a year die from snake bites in the U.S.</p><p>It&#8217;s more common in the U.S. to die from an insect bite or to be struck by lightning than to die of a snake bite.</p><p>In Franklin County, Chambersburg Hospital treats one to two snake bite patients a year, according to a Summit Health spokeswoman. Waynesboro Hospital treated two patients for snake bites in 2014.</p><p>&#8220;We did verify after this incident (in Elk County) that at least Waynesboro and Chambersburg hospitals both have anti-venom in stock, so they would be good places to head to if anyone does have an unfortunate encounter with a local rattlesnake,&#8221; Michaux District Forester Roy Brubaker said. &#8220;I am not aware of anyone being bitten by a rattlesnake in the Michaux (state forest) in the recent past. A couple copperhead bites, both people and dogs, but all have been treated and released to no ill effect to my knowledge.&#8221;</p><p>Prior to the weekend&#8217;s fatality, Pennsylvania&#8217;s most recent snake fatalities appear to have been from exotic species, according to published accounts. In 2001, a man&#8217;s pet Burmese python was found wrapped around the neck of his 8-year-old daughter in Irwin. In 1997, a 38-year-old man died from the bite of a cobra in Luzerne County.</p><p>State health department statistics dating to 1999 lists just one death from either a poisonous bite or other encounter with a reptile. The lone death is for a girl bitten by a reptile in 2001.</p><p>Rattlesnakes are part of outdoor life in Pennsylvania.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s important for people visiting the Michaux or other forested areas in the South Mountain region to be prepared to coexist with these fascinating creatures,&#8221; Brubaker said. &#8220;I&#8217;d encourage people to treat them with respect. Landowners living in the area are welcome to call the district office or their local Watershed Conservation Officer from the Fish and Boat commission if they need assistance relocating a rattlesnake.&#8221;</p><p>Rattlesnakes are protected on South Mountain because they are cut off from other larger populations in the Ridge and Valley and Allegheny mountains, Brubaker said. Researchers are capturing and tagging snakes in the forest to monitor the local rattlesnake populations.</p><p>&#8220;We are have found several dead rattlers already this week since this incident,&#8221; Brubaker said. &#8220;Coincidence? Most likely. But it is far too easy for people to hate them without recognizing the critical role they play as an upper level predator.&#8221;</p><p>He figures that an adult rattlesnake consumes more than 4,500 deer ticks a year based on the rodents in its diet. Deer ticks are the main vector of lyme disease, a debilitating, chronic disease in humans.</p><p>&#8220;Quite likely rattlesnakes save far more human lives than they trouble or end,&#8221; Brubaker said.</p><p>A snake can strike less than half its body length, and does not &#8220;leap&#8221; as is sometime claimed, he said.</p><p>&#8220;It is best to give them ample space to avoid alarming them,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Avoid disturbing them if at all possible.&#8221;</p><p>Brubaker offers these tips on being wary of rattlesnakes.</p><p>&#8226; They are usually not aggressive unless stepped on, surprised, or handled. If walking in tall grass or brush, wear snake-proof chaps or at least use a stick to probe the vegetation in front of you.</p><p>&#8226; Snakes are cold-blooded creatures and may be drawn to sources of warmth during cooler nighttime and morning hours. Be conscious of this while setting up or breaking camp and take measures to ensure areas around campfire rings and tents are uncluttered and easily monitored for the presence of &#8220;unwelcome cuddle buddies.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; Rocky outcroppings and other areas of exposed rock are common denning and basking areas, so be alert for snakes there.</p><p>&#8226; Rattlesnakes frequently hunt for prey by ambushing chipmunks and other small rodents along fallen logs. Be careful when stepping onto or over fallen logs or walking around downed and dead woody material on the forest.</p><p>If you encounter a rattlesnake that is in an absolutely wrong place, use a long, stout stick to gently encourage it to move to a new, less problematic area, according to Brubaker. Be patient and give it time to realize it&#8217;s not in the best location. Use the stick to direct its travel, by nudging it in the direction you want it to go. Do not try to pin it&#8217;s head or otherwise forcibly control or lift it.</p><p>&#8220;Even a relatively small rattlesnake is heavier than it looks, and attempting to lift or carry the snake off the ground will prove awkward and will increase the chance of alarming or hurting the snake,&#8221; he said.</p><p>&#8220;Since rattlesnakes follow very regular territorial routes, don&#8217;t move them more than 100 feet from where you find them or they are likely to be disoriented and may not find their way back to the denning site in the fall.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">A Timber Rattlesnake </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_snake.jpeg</photo0><caption0>A Timber Rattlesnake </caption0><photoCredit0>AP Photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jim Hook</p><p>Chambersburg Public Opinion</p></bylineMeta></div>

Fatal rattlesnake bite is first in Pa. in 25 years