A Ventura County woman has become the second woman to die from a rattlesnake bite on a Southern California walking trail during a recent unusually active period of snake attacks and unseasonably warm weather.
The Ventura County Fire Department has received four reports of rattlesnake bites since March 14, according to department spokesman Andrew Dowd. In comparison, the county recorded a total of nine bites in 2025.
The department responded to a call for food on a hiking trail in Wildwood Park just before noon on March 14. Paramedics performed life-saving measures and transported the patient to a local hospital for treatment.
The woman involved in the attack was later identified as Gabriela Bautista, 46, of Moorpark, who died March 19 as a result of rattlesnake venom poisoning, according to the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office. told KTLA.
The next day, the county fire department rescued a teenage girl from Wendy Trail in Newbury Park after being bitten by a rattlesnake. Firefighters scrambled up to reach the bite victim and used a special wheeled stretcher to bring him down and take him to a hospital in stable condition, Dowd said.
Dowd said two other recent incidents of rattlesnake bites in Ventura County were reported in Thousand Oaks and Meiners Oaks.
On March 4, 25-year-old Julian Hernandez died at an Orange County hospital from a rattlesnake bite. Hernandez was injured on February 1 while hiking on Quail Hill in Irvine.
Rattlesnakes, which are typically most active in spring and summer, have been out earlier than usual this year as March in the Southland was the hottest on record.
US Forest Service in San Bernardino issued a warning Visitors were advised Wednesday of recent rattlesnake reports.
“As temperatures rise, rattlesnakes become more active in the wild,” the department said. “Be cautious, watch where you step, and keep pets close.”
Longtime trail runner Greg Hardesty, who frequently runs in the foothills of Orange County, told The Times earlier this month that he found a large rattlesnake on March 4, noting that it was much earlier in the year than when he typically sees snakes on the trails.
“When I run on the trails, I’m always looking at the ground because the trails are rocky and you can easily fall,” Hardesty said. “Then I saw a big snake that looked like a baseball bat at first.”
Dowd said that as an avid hiker he understands the importance of the hundreds of miles of beautiful trails in Ventura County, but he said there are some very important safety tips the department wants everyone to be aware of.
“The first thing to do is to wear hiking shoes and long pants to have some protection against rattlesnakes if there is an encounter,” he said. “The second is to walk on clearly marked paths where you can see in front of you, so you can avoid snakes.”
He strongly cautioned against wandering into areas with tall grass where rattlesnakes may be coiled up and said the best thing to do if hikers encounter a snake is to back away slowly and avoid contact.
Then there are some general safety tips that hikers should follow at all times of the year: Tell someone where you’re going, carry plenty of water, and make sure you have a charged phone or GPS device, he notes.
In the event of a rattlesnake bite, Dowd reminds hikers to stay calm, call 911 and try to limit movement.
“The general recommendations are to avoid using a tourniquet, avoid attempting to remove the poison, communicate with anyone nearby and know that responders are on the way,” he said.
Despite two recent deaths, death from rattlesnake bites is rare in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention It is estimated that approximately 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes annually, with fewer than 1 in 10 resulting in deaths.
Staff writer Sierra Morgan contributed to this report.
