A Calabasas family was jolted by a frightening discovery Friday after a venomous rattlesnake was found in the backyard play area used by their children.
The snake was spotted by Hugo Will, a Los Angeles-based cinematographer whose credits include collaborations with major film figures such as director Ted Kotcheff, editor Thom Noble and director James Fargo.
Will said the rattlesnake had slipped into the yard and was concealed among toys scattered where his children normally play. He expressed deep relief that the children were not home at the time.
“Imagine finding a rattlesnake in your kid’s backyard among all the toys that kids interact with? Still in shock. Luckily the kids weren’t home.
“Everything could have turned a very bad way. Stay alert,” Will wrote in the caption of a video he shared on Instagram.
Los Angeles County firefighters were called to the home at about 6 p.m. Video from the scene shows crews carefully securing the rattlesnake with a grabber before removing it from the property.
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The close call comes after another serious rattlesnake incident earlier this year, when a Northern California hospital reportedly ran out of antivenom while trying to save a father of three who had been bitten twice.
That victim, Christopher Howarth of Idaho, was visiting his parents’ home in the Lake Oroville area in May when he went into the backyard to inspect a leaking pipeline and was attacked by the deadly snake.
Moving through the shadows, he stepped on what he thought was a plant — but it was a rattlesnake.
“I got bit twice, and one of the bites, where it was, was kind of shallow, but the other one got my vein,” Howarth had told SFGate.
The Oroville Hospital administered 54 vials of anti-venom to Howarth before running out of the antidote and transferring him to Stanford Hospital where he received a different anti-venom that helped alleviate his symptoms.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) advises people to stay alert while outdoors and avoid tall grass, weeds and heavy brush. California is home to seven different species of rattlesnakes and golden staters must check rocks, stumps and logs before sitting down in brushy areas.
The agency outlines that pets are at an increased risk when they go around sniffing near bushes and they must be kept on leashes. Even if a snake appears dead, it can still inject venom.
