Boy Gets Bitten By Copperhead Snake, Prompts CT DEEP Warning

The Weston Volunteer Fire Department reported that a 14-year-old teen visiting Devil’s Den Preserve in Weston was bitten by a copperhead snake after reaching out to touch it, according to the Weston Forum.

Mark Blake and other Weston Fire Department volunteers responded to a call Monday, July 6, that a boy on a field trip to Devil’s Den was bitten by a snake. The boy was taken to Norwalk Hospital and treated for non life-threatening symptoms, the Weston forum reported.

Copperhead snakes are venomous but the venom is mild and rarely lethal to humans, according to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP). The copperhead is one of two venomous snakes living in Connecticut according to the CT DEEP’s Wildlife Division. The other is the timber rattlesnake.

The CT DEEP’s Wildlife Division states that copperheads strike when they feel threatened.

“Snake encounters can be alarming for some people, especially if they do not understand how harmless, yet important these creatures are to the natural world,” the DEEP said in a release.

“Snakes are probably some of the most misunderstood animals in the outdoors,” Rick Jacobson, Director of the DEEP Wildlife Division, told the Connecticut Post. “There is no need to fear or hate these reptiles. If you leave snakes alone, they will leave you alone.”

Click here to read important safety tips on the Weston Forum on what not to do if a snake bites.

Photo: Flickr Creative Commons