This man gave people a perfect example of why you should always call a professional if you find a rattlesnake on your property. A man near Corona, California learned the hard way why you should always call in a professional when dealing with dangerous animals.

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A Facebook post by the Riverside County Animal is warning Southern California residents against using unconventional items to help assist people with moving venomous animals off their property. Riverside County firefighters were called to a property near Corona regarding a rattlesnake that had bitten a man who tried to capture it. When they arrived, they learned the man had attempted to grab the snake with 14-inch BBQ tongs and was bitten by the snake. The man, named Steve, was hospitalized because of his injuries.

Animal Control Officer Mike McGee said he saw the snake in some bushes on the property and began assessing how to best capture the reptile. By this time, a crowd had begun gathering and were videotaping his efforts. Officer McGee used a pair of five-foot pair of tongs to grab the snake and put it in a bucket to transport.

Steve, the man who initially tried to capture the snake and got bit, told NBC Los Angeles he tried to grab the snake because he was afraid it would encounter children who lived in the neighborhood. He also explained he worked in the military with a team that would clear rattlesnakes so he thought he would be able to access the situation before grabbing it. Unfortunately, the snake bit him when he tried to move the bushes to see how big it was. Steve called the move "idiotic."

 

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