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SALT LAKE CITY — A word of caution as the warm weather beckons for us to get outside. The pleasant early spring conditions are also attracting something else: Snakes and spiders.
Getting away from it all is important these days. That’s why the Pratt family looks forward to the end of April every year.
Edgar Pratt loves camping: “Camp, we fish, ride, just hang out with family,” he said.
There’s something about being outside that calms people.
“Yeah, it’s mellow,” said Penny Pratt. “No fighting out here.”
Unless, of course, you a see a snake.
Snakes, especially rattlesnakes, are starting to come out of hibernation. Jim Dix, who runs Reptile Rescue, wants hikers heading into the mountains to be aware of them.
“A lot of people get distracted with the flowers blooming and plants,” said Dix. “And everything that was dead is turning beautiful green.”
Getting bit by a snake can ruin any good day outside.
“Very seldom someone gets bit unless they step on one, or the majority is trying to catch it or kill it," Dix said. "And all snakes are protected, so it’s illegal to kill them."
And it’s not just snakes. Dix said campers or hikers might see a few more black widow spiders this year, too.
“If there’s a deep freeze, it kills the egg sacs and a lot of the offspring,” said Dix. “And we didn’t really have a deep freeze except for one day out here.”
Dix said a bite from a black widow could be as bad, if not worse, than getting bit by a rattlesnake.
Dix also said there’s a decent chance your house might have a black widow in it.
“Most homes have one to three, and people don’t even know it,” Dix said.
That might be incentive enough to be like the Pratt’s and get outside.
Of course, that’s where the snakes are.
