Bishop Police issue warning after residents encounter rattlesnakes in town

Someone answering nature's call had a close call with nature Sunday afternoon at the Amistad Veterans Memorial Park in Bishop.

On Sunday, an Amazon delivery driver found a rattlesnake in the park's restroom. He told Officer Hope Ramos who was patrolling the area that the rattlesnake was next to the sink.

Ramos wasted no time. She called dispatch and told officers to put her on call for the situation in front of her. Ramos said she’s handled rattlesnakes before, but had to handle this situation differently.

“My first thought was to maybe step on the head, grab it, and take it out to the field. But we do have policies in place, so I was trying my best to follow those policies, stay safe, and still get my job done,” Ramos said, "Once I verified that it was actually a rattler there in the restroom, my main concern was getting rid of it as safe as possible. I know a lot of kids go out there and being a School Resource Officer, kids are my weak spot. So I was figuring out what to do with it."

Bishop Chief of Police Edward Day said when his officers handle a rattlesnake or other wild animal call, they first contact Animal Control and Texas Game Wardens to see if the snake can be relocated. However, in this case, no one was available to take care of the snake. A county Animal Control employee contacted a friend in the area to help kill the snake.

The snake was killed for the safety and protection of the neighborhood and children at the park.

Chief Day said this wasn't the only rattlesnake sighting. A Bishop resident also found a snake in her front yard near Joyce St. Day believes that snake was also killed.

“The fact of the matter is we’re in their territory. A lot of these houses get built in agricultural areas, rural areas. This area used to be farmland so this was their environment. This is what they were used to. I would just recommend being aware of your surroundings, watch where you step,” Day said.

Day recommended if a Bishop resident runs into a rattlesnake, contact the Bishop P.D. non-emergency line at 361-584-2443.

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