‘Rare,’ Venomous Snake Found Hiding In Upstate New York

A deadly snake startled a group of workers in Upstate New York.

On Wednesday, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation released its latest Environmental Conservation Police on Patrol report.

This report highlighted how an officer wrangled a venomous snake.

'Rare,' Venomous Snake Found In Town of Hancock, Delaware County, New York

On July 17, ECO Osborne responded to a timber rattlesnake complaint in the town of Hancock. A group of utility workers conducting maintenance at a cell tower discovered the 40-inch snake inside the door of one of the tower's electrical boxes and called for help.

"While rarely seen, timber rattlesnakes are venomous pit vipers native to New York State and considered a threatened species protected by law," the DEC stated in a press release.

More About Timber Rattlesnakes In New York State

Venom From Timber Rattlesnakes Can Kill

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Venom from the snake can kill humans if the bite is left untreated. However, in New York, there have been no records of human deaths attributed to rattlesnakes in the wild during the last several decades, according to the DEC.

Less than 15 percent of the snake bites reported over a ten-year period were actually from a venomous snake.

Venomous Snake Safely Removed In Upstate New York

Officer Osborne, who is a member of DEC's Division of Law Enforcement (DLE) Wildlife Response Team, safely removed the rattlesnake, the DEC reports.

Officer Osborne used snake tongs to safely remove the snake and then returned it to the wild.

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Timber rattlesnakes have an active season that runs from late April until mid-October