Snake bite incident rekindles awareness of Michigan rattlesnake

We recently reported on a snakebite incident in Lower Michigan. A young, barefoot visitor to an Ann Arbor botanical garden was bitten by an Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, the only rattlesnake native to our state. The young girl was hospitalized and recovered. The incident has triggered an advisory from a group of Michigan naturalists of the risk of an encounter with this species of snake in our state.Current State’s Mark Bashore speaks with Steven Parrish, a Restorative Ecologist at the Matthei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor, to learn more about the potential risks of rattlesnakes in Michigan. Parish says that the bite of the Eastern Massasauga is rarely fatal but they are present in Michigan and people should be aware of their presence.