Stop the Rattlesnake Torture in Texas
- by: Judith B.
- recipient: Todd Staples, Agriculture Commissioner, Texas
In the second weekend of March each year, Sweetwater, Texas has the largest, and most notorious, rattlesnake roundup in the country.
Rattlesnake roundups involve a gratuitous display of brutality advertised as a family fun day. Rattlesnakes are captured in huge numbers, crushed into containers without food or water for days and finally killed and tortured in the name of entertainment.
The snakes lucky enough to survive the capture and show in Sweetwater are killed by decapitation. This is not a fast way to kill reptiles - they are conscious for a long time after their heads are cut off.
Ironically, the creatures being tortured aren't really pests. Rattlesnakes are certainly dangerous, but they keep populations of real pests, such as rats, under control. Some species are endangered, due in a large part to the roundups.
A family day out should not include a display of brutality that belongs in the 19th century. Ask Texas to end this show of unspeakable cruelty.
We the undersigned ask that the rattlesnake roundup in Sweetwater come to an end. Under the guise of entertainment, such events promote immense cruelty and a disregard for both the environment and human health. Far more appropriate would be a park ranger explaining how to be safe in rattlesnake country, with or without a real rattlesnake in a secure tank.
We ask that you put a stop to cruelty that probably wouldn't be tolerated in America if it involved almost any other animal.
Thank you for your attention.
