A Riverside County man learned the hard way that trying to pick up a rattlesnake with barbecue tongs is a good way to get bitten.
The unidentified man is recovering Monday, after being treated by Riverside County firefighters for a snake bite to his left hand, near his thumb, according to John Welsh, spokesman for the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.
The man was reportedly trying to remove the snake to protect some children in the area and grabbed the nearby barbecue tongs.
Animal Services Commander Chris Mayer said cooking utensils are not recommened when handling venomous reptiles.
“A coiled rattlesnake can strike the length of its body and the bites are painful, and in some rare cases, fatal, Mayer said in a statement.
The rattler was found near some bushes when animal control officers arrived. Officer Mike McGee used 5-foot long tongs and a humane storage bucket to capture the snake, according to CBS-2 Los Angeles.
The snake was euthanized as it was determined that it would not be safe to release it near the community.
“We try to release rattlesnakes within one mile of where we remove it from, but it was highly likely this snake might end up in one of the adjacent homes again,” McGee said in a statement. “I didn’t believe a routine release would be safe this time.”
McGee tells CBS-2 that he’s responded to at least four rattlesnake calls in the last two weeks, and was safely able to remove and release two rattlesnakes. One of those releases included a snake similar in species and size to the one that bit the man Saturday.
Click here for a detailed guide (PDF) on what to do if you see a snake in your community.