A child was bitten by a rattlesnake this afternoon as he was walking at Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield with his family.
The snake struck the 7-year-old boy in the heel, said Jay Ruoff, a Littleton Fire Department spokesman.
The child was taken to Littleton Adventist Hospital. Details about his condition were not released.
Denver Botanic Gardens spokesman Will Jones said the 750 acre park in the southwest metro foothills is prime habitat for rattlesnakes and other wildlife.
This is the first time a garden patron has been bitten, though Jones said four years ago, a garden employee was bitten while working in the field.
“We have had snakes in the gardens and so we have signs along the pathways warning people that this is rattlesnake season and that they can be aggressive,” Jones said. “We try to give people a heads up so they understand that they are in an area where there is wildlife.”
Jones said the boy, his older brother, mother and grandmother were walking on a paved path near the Deer Creek Discovery Area at about 12:30 p.m., when the child was bitten.
Family members told firefighters that the snake was “large” and that it slithered away after biting the boy. The family rushed to an administrative building and 911 was called.
“We have first aid kits there, and people are trained in basic first aid, but when we have something as possibly severe as rattlesnake bite, first thing we do is call the professionals.”
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
