Commerce City police help wrangle rattlesnake in driveway

Commerce City police helped return a surly rattlesnake to the wild this month after a resident found the venomous reptile coiled in their home’s driveway.

In body-worn-camera video included in a Commerce City Police Department social media post, the officer uses a catch pole to pick up the snake, which rattles and tries to lash out as he carries it to a nearby field.

Police spokesperson Joanna Small said no one was hurt during the encounter on the night of May 22, although a person was bitten recently while using a local trail.

“We’ve now had two instances recently where there’s been human contact with a rattlesnake,” she said. “People should just be aware that they’re out there and they’re native to Colorado.”

Colorado is home to three species of rattlesnake, named for the noisy appendages at the ends of their tails that vibrate to warn potential predators. Although the snakes prefer to hide or scare away humans, people who get too close may suffer a painful bite carrying venom that can damage muscle tissue and skin.

Hikers on Colorado trails should look where they are reaching and stepping to avoid provoking a rattlesnake, and anyone who believes they have been bitten should call 911, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

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