Heading off to the cottage? Watch out for rattlesnakes

Wildlife experts in Ontario are advising people to be on the lookout for the venomous Massasauga rattlesnake after eight people were bitten in the Georgian Bay area this summer.

Officials say seven of those eight people were treated in hospital with anti-snake venom serum. No one has died from a rattlesnake bite in Ontario in 50 years, but experts say the warm weather may mean more close encounters with the rattler this year.

"They're going to be on the move because tonight it's going to be like 20 C, a perfect night for a snake to be out, either looking for a mate or looking for food," Glenda Clayton, a coordinator at the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve, told CTV Toronto on Wednesday.

Found primarily along the eastern shore of Georgian Bay and the Bruce Peninsula, the Massasauga rattlesnake is considered a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. It's believed there are less than 32,000 of the stout-bodied rattlesnakes in the province.

The snakes will typically bite if they are threatened or harassed, but Clayton is still advising people to take precautions.

"No. 1 would be to put on a pair of shoes, especially in areas where you can’t see well," she said.

Clayton also suggests using a flashlight at night and keeping paths cleared.

The Massasauga rattlesnake is Ontario's only venomous snake.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Bill Hutchinson