Rattlesnake population booming in CA, experts warn

A rattlesnake bite is no joke.

And you might have to work a little harder to avoid one this year.

According to SF Gate, we’re currently in the midst of a major rattlesnake boom.

A new study from Cal Poly and U of M found that the state’s population is thriving in the increasingly hot and arid California environment.

SF Gate spoke to Len Ramirez, who owns a snake removal company:

“In California, the climate is perfect… It’s getting warmer. There’s development moving into more remote, previously undisturbed areas.”

Experts explain that rattlers prefer temperatures between 86 and 89°F.

And since California continues to inch ever closer to apocalyptic levels of heat, it’s the perfect climate.

SF Gate quotes the lead researcher on the study, Hayley Crowell from U of M:

“A warmer climate may help these snakes heat up to temperatures that are more optimal for digestion or reproduction”

Great.

According to KRON4, Governor Newsom and other state leaders met this week to discuss the current dry conditions.

The first few months of 2022 have been the driest we’ve ever had.

Like, literally, in the time since we started recording these things, it’s worse than that.

KRON4 quotes the governor’s press release:

“Every water agency across the state needs to take more aggressive actions to communicate about the drought emergency and implement conservation measures”

Many of the states current water reservoirs are about half as full as they usually are.

To help with the situation, the governor is considering proposing significant water restrictions.

These could range anywhere from education to fines.

From the governor’s press release:

“We all have to be more thoughtful about how to make every drop count.”

Read more on this story at SFGate.com