Last month in a "Predator Watch" column, I reported on the tragic death of Ifunanya Nwangene, a former contestant on The Voice Nigeria, who died at the age of 26 following a snake bite. The snake, most likely a cobra, bit the young woman while she was sleeping in her bed in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.
I remarked in that article that due to the availability of antivenom and advanced medical care in the U.S., you are far less likely to die from a snake bite here than in Africa. Of the 8,000 or so people who are bitten annually by venomous snakes in the U.S., on average only 5-6 die. That’s why it’s surprising to hear of two rattlesnake bite deaths in Southern California just this month.
Julian Hernandez, a 25-year-old man from Orange County, Calif., died after a rattlesnake bit him during a mountain biking trip in Irvine on February 1. Los Angeles’s ABC7 has the terrible details:
Public Information Officer Kyle Oldoerp said Hernandez was bitten after he lost his balance.
"He was adjusting his shoe on his bike, which caused him to fall over into some brush and then it's our understanding that that's when the rattlesnake bit him," Oldoerp said. He added that Hernandez was bitten in the leg.
The Orange County Fire Authority took Hernandez to a hospital by ambulance, where officials told Eyewitness News he was alert. But on March 4 - more than a month later - Hernandez died. The Orange County Sheriff's Department said the coroner ruled his death was caused by an animal bite.
An NBC4 News segment shows a rattlesnake warning sign on the trail where the Eagle Scout was riding.
What makes the story even more devastating is that, according to the GoFundMe page set up after his death, Hernandez was with his dad when the fatal bite occurred.
Also this month, Gabriela Bautista, a 46-year-old woman, died after she was bitten by a rattlesnake in Ventura County, Calif. She sustained the bite during a hike at Wildwood Regional Park on March 14. Although she was airlifted to the hospital for treatment, she passed away as a result of rattlesnake venom toxicity on March 19.
Related: Predator Watch: First Gray Wolf Sighting in Los Angeles County in Over a Century
While there were only nine rattlesnake bites in Ventura County in 2025, according to the Ventura County Fire Department, there have been four since March 14, including a teenage girl who was bitten under similar circumstances to Hernandez after she fell off a bike. Fortunately, first responders were able to get her to the hospital in time to administer anti-venom.
I live about 40 miles from Ventura County, and there are plenty of signs warning about rattlesnakes on our hiking trails. But I’ve never seen any snake, let alone a rattlesnake, on the many hikes I’ve taken out here with my family. I haven’t hiked yet this year, especially because of the recent heat waves that have prompted warnings from wildlife officials to be on the lookout for rattlers. The New York Post reports:
Officials and wildlife experts say warmer‑than‑normal temperatures are driving rattlesnakes out of their hibernation-like state of dormancy sooner than usual.
The situation is so bad, it’s prompted the U.S. Forest Service to issue an alert reminding outdoor lovers that “as temperatures rise, rattlesnakes become more active in the forest.” San Bernardino National Forest rangers are urging hikers to watch their step and keep pets close.
An interesting article in NewScience says that "rattlesnakes use sudden high-speed rattling to fool humans, and probably also animals, into believing that they are closer to the venomous vipers than they really are." Boris Chagnaud, a professor of neurobiology and behavior specializing in the neural basis of animal behavior, is quoted in the article: “They’re not trying to [give fair warning to] save us from being bitten. They’re advertising their presence to save themselves.”
Whatever the reason for their rattling, after this month’s news, I’ll be keeping my eyes — and ears — open for any signs of danger on my next hike. Share in the comments any encounters with rattlesnakes you’ve had.
