Rattlesnakes force Calif. high school to close

GUSTINE, Calif. - A Central California high school has shut down after five rattlesnakes were spotted on campus in less than three weeks.

Gustine High School in Merced County closed its doors for two days on Wednesday over concerns about student safety. Rattlesnakes are venomous, and their bites can be fatal.

District Superintendent Gail McWilliams tells the Merced Sun-Star that the source of the infestation is not known. Police speculate that someone may have left a pregnant rattlesnake on the school grounds.

All of the snakes that have been spotted are thought to be babies because they were less than a foot long. They were all killed.

An animal control agency has been called in to search for more snakes while the school is closed.