Overview
- Samba, a 14-year-old melanistic jaguar born at Project Survival Cat Haven, was found with a swollen paw and two puncture wounds and was taken to emergency veterinary care on Monday, Aug. 24.
- Veterinarians recorded severe blood damage consistent with rattlesnake venom, gave two doses of antivenom that reduced abnormal red blood cells from about 100% to under 5%, but Samba did not awaken from anesthesia and her heart stopped.
- Project Survival sent Samba’s body to the UC Davis California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory for a necropsy to determine whether underlying health issues or complications made the bites fatal; results could take weeks.
- The sanctuary says this is its first fatal snakebite in nearly 28 years, it has treated several prior nonfatal bites, it has relocated roughly a dozen rattlesnakes from the property this year, and staff are now giving extra care to Samba’s sister, Rose.
- Statewide reporting shows 277 rattlesnake bites so far this season and experts link the spike to unseasonably warm weather, a trend that raises risks for people, livestock and captive wildlife and complicates how sanctuaries balance animal safety with conserving native snakes.