As California grapples with what experts are calling a historically unprecedented spike in rattlesnake incidents and fatalities, a quick-thinking preschooler in the Santa Clarita Valley may have helped prevent another tragedy after spotting a venomous snake inside a playground structure.
The close call happened around 4:30 p.m. Thursday at a preschool in the Saugus neighborhood of Santa Clarita, where a child noticed a rattlesnake inside a playhouse and immediately alerted a teacher, local rattlesnake wrangler Cary Quashen told KTLA.
School staff contacted Quashen, who responded to safely remove the snake before anyone was injured.
Video shared by Quashen shows the rattlesnake coiled near the play structure as he carefully captures it using specialized equipment.
“Thank God it all worked out fine,” Quashen wrote in a social media post accompanying the footage.
Quashen, who operates a rattlesnake removal service and dog-training program in Santa Clarita, said he was called in to ensure the area was safe and that no children had been bitten.
He later relocated the snake away from the school.
No injuries were reported.
However, the incident comes amid an alarming year for rattlesnake encounters in California.
During the first three months of 2026, the state recorded 77 rattlesnake-related calls and three confirmed deaths, a dramatic increase over California’s typical annual average of zero to one fatality.
Medical directors and herpetologists with the California Poison Control System have described the 2026 figures as “highly unusual and deeply concerning.”
Experts say the early-year numbers are exceptionally high and historically unprecedented for the state.
Quashen has become known as the unofficial “snake wrangler of Santa Clarita” after years of sharing videos documenting rattlesnake removals throughout the area.
Anyone who encounters a rattlesnake should keep a safe distance, avoid any attempt to handle the animal, and contact trained wildlife professionals if removal is necessary.
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