7-year-old recovering from copperhead bite at Brown County State Park
NASHVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A 7-year-old girl is recovering after being bitten by a copperhead snake Saturday at Brown County State Park.
According to the Department of Natural Resources, the girl was playing with other kids at her campsite when she ran to the edge of the woods. That’s where the DNR believes she was when she was bit.
After she complained of puncture wounds on her ankle, the girl’s father went back to the area and saw a snake.
The girl was taken to IU Health Riley Hospital, and doctors say she will make a full recovery.
DNR employees tried to catch the snake but it escaped.
According to the DNR, the incident has similarities to other instances of copperhead bites: It was after dark, and the person who was bit was in a poorly lit area and not using a flashlight.
The DNR offered this list of suggestions to prevent the likelihood of encounters with snakes in the park:
- Stay on designate trails and mowed areas. Snake are less likely to come out in the open.
- After dark, snakes will move around to hunt for food or lie on warm roadways, so stay in well-lit areas or use a flash light.
- Keep your camp site clean. Snakes feed on rodents and human food wrappers, and debris on the ground may draw rodents to the site and the snakes may follow.
- If you are camping in an area where there are snakes, check your site occasionally to make sure no snakes are passing through.
- If a snake comes on your site, stay away from it. Keep kids and pets away from it, and contact the campground office.