A hiker died in Tennessee’s Savage Gulf State Park after being bitten by a venomous snake, officers mentioned Thursday.
Grundy County Emergency Administration Company personnel have been dispatched to a trailhead within the park round 12:30 p.m. native time on August 8, company director Matthew Griffith instructed CBS Information in an announcement. The unidentified hiker was about half a mile down the path when first responders, together with fireplace and rescue employees, EMS members and park rangers, arrived.
Griffith mentioned a witness reported the person had picked up a snake, and the reptile then bit him on the hand. The snake is believed to be a timber rattlesnake, Griffith mentioned.
The hiker was transported to an space hospital, Griffith mentioned, and died from his accidents there.
Griffith mentioned the hiker appeared to have died from an allergic response, however mentioned the hiker’s full reason for loss of life has but to be launched.
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“The household of the person will probably be in our ideas and prayers,” Griffith mentioned. “As at all times it is strongly really useful to have some type of first assist provides whereas having fun with outside leisure actions and be aware of wildlife and the hazards that some wildlife could pose. When you encounter a snake merely stay calm and don’t try to deal with it. If bitten search instant medical consideration.”
Timber rattlesnakes are the most important and most harmful of the 4 species of venomous snakes in Tennessee, in accordance with the state’s Wildlife Assets Company. Timber rattlesnakes common between 3 and 5 ft lengthy, and have flat heads which can be wider than their necks, the company mentioned. The snakes are grey, yellow or green-white with darkish bands and a rust-colored stripe in the midst of their again. The snakes may be discovered throughout the state and have a tendency to want mature, closely wooded forests with rocky hillsides and may typically be noticed close to fallen logs or sunning on rocks.
Timber rattlesnakes are inclined to prey on small rodents, the company mentioned. The Smithsonian’s Nationwide Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute mentioned the species is “extra docile than different members of its household” and is prone to go immobile if encountered within the wild. Bites from timber rattlesnakes are uncommon, the zoo mentioned.
Normally, rattlesnake bites aren’t deadly, in accordance with the U.S. Forest Service. Lower than 1 in 600 bites end in loss of life, the company mentioned.
Savage Gulf State Park accommodates about 60 miles of mountain climbing trails, in accordance with Tennessee State Parks. The park accommodates scenic wilderness areas, waterfalls and deep gulfs. It’s positioned about 95 miles from Nashville.
