A 3-year-old boy was bitten by a baby rattlesnake at a pre-school in Allied Gardens on Friday morning, a fire official said.
The boy was bitten around 9:45 a.m. at the Canyon Rim Children’s Center, 6800 Easton Court, San Diego Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Monica Munoz said.
The 10-inch snake likely came from a canyon not too far from the playground, Munoz said.
Trice Barr, the pre-school director, told NBC 7 her staff comforted the child and called 911.
The boy was taken to Rady Children's Hospital as a trauma patient, Munoz said. Barr said the boy is doing well and is expected to survive.
Animal services were contacted to remove the snake but a staffer at the pre-school trapped and killed the snake "rather than risk the chance it would bite anyone else," Munoz said.
Staff at the pre-school regularly check the canyon fence for rattlesnakes "several times a day," Barr said.
Local
Parents and residents near the school said rattlesnakes and other wildlife are common in backyards and canyons around the area.
