‘Oh heck no!’ Dramatic video shows 2 rattlesnakes fighting at the Pismo Preserve
Better watch your step if you’re planning to explore the 11 miles of brand-new Pismo Preserve hiking trails.
A video showing two rattlesnakes locked in a dramatic fight at the Preserve was shared to the Friends of Pismo Preserve Facebook page Monday, and has quickly gone viral.
The video shows the rattlesnakes as they face off on the Discovery trail; in it, the snakes rapidly twist and wrap their upper bodies around each other as they vie for dominance.
Tom Georgii, whose wife Elena Georgii took the video Monday morning, shared it to the Facebook page to warn people to stay on the trails and be alert.
Georgii said that before taking the video, his wife saw five snakes in five minutes on her way down the Discovery trail. When she came upon the fighting snakes, she decided to take a few short video clips, he said.
“The irony of her story is that after she saw the first three snakes, she called REI to buy snake gators,” he told The Tribune in a Facebook conversation Tuesday. “While she was on the phone, she walked up to the two rattlers competing, so she hung up and videoed.”
Georgii added that he didn’t see any snakes when he was mountain biking at the Preserve on the same day, but that he’s also heard from other people who have seen snakes in that same area.
The Friends of Pismo Preserve reposted the video to its page Monday evening and elaborated that it appears to show two male snakes doing “their ritual combat dance to decide who will mate.”
“Two rattlesnakes doing their thing,” they wrote.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the video has more than 80,000 views.
“Brutal!” one person commented.
“Oh heck no!” another wrote.
The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County warned hikers on Tuesday to keep their dogs on leash and stay on the trail to avoid human-wildlife encounters.
“Wildlife hazards such as rattlesnakes are a natural part of most open spaces on the Central Coast,” they wrote. “When you veer off the trail, you greatly increase your chances of running into one of these cuties. But they can be on the trails too.”
The Pismo Preserve fully opened to the public in January after years of anticipation. The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo bought the 880-acre property in 2014 after an enthusiastic campaign by local residents raised $1.7 million for the purchase, and helped to lobby local and state agencies for the rest of the funding needed for the $12 million property.
The Preserve, situated on the hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean, offers 11 miles of trails that wind hikers through canyons and grasslands; the park is currently open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., but evening hours will extend to 9:30 p.m. from March to October.
This story was originally published February 18, 2020 at 1:38 PM.
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