TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - Aside from the break we’re getting from these hot temperatures, this rain is also a pleasant welcome when it comes to wildlife and our safety around them.

Specifically, rattlesnakes.

Animal Experts co-owner Marc Hammond said the combination of lasting heat and infrequent rain is a recipe for rattlesnake encounters. In fact, they’ve been responding to around 200 calls per month.

Former Pima County Sheriff Mark Napier was golfing in Oro Valley on Thursday when he was bitten.

“It is a traumatic experience,” Napier said. “I close my eyes, and I can still see that snake’s eyes, and I can feel it hit me.”

He said he was very cautious when he went to get his ball from a small bush, and yet a well-hidden, silent rattlesnake caught him by surprise.

The pain and s

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