Overview
- The adult man, bitten near a vehicle by the CSU Channel Islands campus Sunday around 4 p.m., was met by paramedics at Pleasant Valley and Lewis roads and taken to a hospital in stable condition.
- The case is the sixth reported since March 14 in Ventura County, marking a sharp cluster of bites within roughly three weeks.
- Two recent victims died in separate incidents, including Gabriela Bautista after a March 14 hike in Wildwood Regional Park and Julian Enrique Hernandez, who was bitten February 1 in Irvine and died March 4.
- Wildlife experts tie the spike to unseasonably warm weather after good winter rains, which boosts rodents and draws rattlesnakes into daytime foraging on warm ground and paved surfaces.
- Officials urge people to stay on trails, avoid tall grass, call 911 if bitten, stay calm, and limit movement, while noting not all hospitals stock antivenom and the Camarillo snake species has not been identified.