Springtime for rattlers in Arizona

PHOENIX, April 18 (UPI) -- Arizona officials are issuing their annual springtime warnings to people to beware of rattlesnakes.

Warmer temperatures are bringing rattlers out of hibernation and into yards and brushy areas where people are likely to accidentally come too close.

"Rattlesnakes don't want to harm you," Dr. Frank Lovecchio, head of the Banner Poison Control Center in Phoenix, told the Arizona Republic. "If you see a snake, just go the other way."

The Republic said there was good reason to give the serpents a wide berth. Bites can be fatal and will at least cause a painful wound that can take weeks to heal.