A child was taken to a local hospital after reportedly being bitten by a rattlesnake in the University of Michigan’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens Wednesday afternoon, according to a U-M official.

The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake.

U-M Division of Public Safety and Security spokeswoman Diane Brown said officers were dispatched at 3:03 p.m. Wednesday to the gardens, 1800 North Dixboro Road, for a report of a bite.

Brown said the report was that a child was bitten by an Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake. According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources website, the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake is one of the smallest and least venomous rattlesnakes in the country.

The child was taken to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital to be treated for the reported bite.

The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake is the only venomous snake in the state of Michigan. Brown said there is a population of snakes at the botanical gardens and there are signs in the area to alert visitors to the snakes’ presence.

According to a statement from August 2012, when the gardens accepted a grant for habitat restoration, the snake thrives in the gardens. Adult Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnakes grow to between two and three feet in length, according to the DNR.

The rattlesnakes usually avoid humans, but do have short fangs that easily puncture skin, according to the DNR.

“It is best to treat them with respect and leave them alone,” the DNR’s website states. “The few bites that occur to humans often result from attempts to handle or kill the snakes.”

Brown did not have more information about the child’s condition.

Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for The Ann Arbor News. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@mlive.com or you can follow him on Twitter. Find all Washtenaw County crime stories here.