VALLEY CENTER -- Authorities are warning residents in this
sparsely populated, rural community to exercise caution this
summer as the number of people bitten by rattlesnakes has
increased during the last year. From March to May, there have
been five people bitten by rattlesnakes in Valley Center,
compared with three in the same period last year, according to
statistics from the Valley Center In addition, roughly 26
rattlesnakes have been removed from people's yards and other
areas of town during the same period, statistics show. Seven
snake removals were reported in the same three-month period last
year. Because of the increased number of rattlesnakes, Valley
Center fire engineer Richard Gonzales said people should avoid
places where rattlesnakes lurk -- grassy terrain, brush, and
other areas where snakes seek shade. In San Diego County, the
Mohave green, Pacific diamondback, Western diamondback and
sidewinder rattlesnakes are common, authorities said. But the
two varieties of diamondbacks, with their poisono