Alva Review-Courier -

ABILENE, Texas (AP) — Central Texas residents are expressing concerns about snake activity after a 1-year-old boy was hospitalized from a rattlesnake bite.

The toddler is recovering after being bitten on the hand by a 1-foot-long (0.3-meter) rattlesnake while playing outside his home in Abilene Tuesday, the Abilene Reporter-News reported.

Taylor County's game warden James Cummings said he's been fielding more calls about rattlesnakes recently. Increased snake activity is linked to a growing rodent population, the reptile's food source, he said. Heat is another factor since snakes try to find s...