A Wal-Mart customer is recovering after he was bitten by a rattlesnake in a garden department of the store chain.

一位顾客在沃尔玛购物的时候在花园区被一条响尾蛇咬伤，目前身体情况正在恢复中。

Mica² Craig said the reptile³（爬行动物） pounced⁴ as he was shopping at the store in the north-western US state of Washington.

The 47-year-old stamped on the serpent（蛇） and was later treated at hospital with anti-venom, after his hand suffered serious swelling⁵.

Wal-Mart apologised, and said it was investigating how the snake had entered the store in the city of Clarkston.

Kayla Whaling, a spokeswoman for the chain, said: "At this point, it appears to be an isolated⁶ incident.

"We are working with a pest management team, which is conducting a sweep of the property to ensure there is no additional rattlesnake activity."

Another customer, Maria Geffre, told Reuters news agency the snake was at least 1ft (30cm) long with four rattles¹.

Mr Craig said the serpent attacked as he reached down to brush away what he thought was a stick from a bag of mulch.

The purchase was intended for his marijuana plants, which Mr Craig said he was licensed⁷ to grow for medical reasons.