Stop Senseless Killing of Rattlesnakes in Texas

Animal Planet airs the despicable act of senseless killings of Rattlesnakes in Texas amongst others whilst the Authorities turn a blind eye to this barbaric 'tradition' which keeps going on today in the 21st Century. No country which calls itself civilised should allow this sort of thing to happen.

“Rattlesnake roundups” are contests calling for hunters to bring in as many snakes as they can catch in a year, at which point the snakes are slaughtered and sold for skin and meat. Six states still host these killing contests: Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. 

Roundups are driving some species of rattlesnakes toward extinction. A recent study analyzing 50 years of roundup data found eastern diamondback rattlesnakes in sharp decline due to roundup pressure and habitat loss. Rattlesnakes play a key role in the food web, especially in terms of rodent control. 

And roundups are harmful to many species, not just rattlesnakes. To catch snakes for the event, hunters spray gasoline into tortoise burrows, destroying the burrows and often killing the animals inside. More than 350 species depend on tortoise burrows for food and shelter. Roundup organizers claim that hunters no longer use gassing to catch snakes, but in January 2010, wildlife officials in Georgia apprehended four men who had gassed 50 tortoise burrows to collect snakes for the rattlesnake roundup in Whigham. 

Although roundup organizers claim that the events provide environmental education, no meaningful wildlife education — emphasizing the importance of saving native species — is provided. Handling venomous snakes in front of the public and then killing the snakes is the opposite of wildlife education. 

Nor do roundups protect public health. Roundup sponsors like to claim that the purpose of the events is to extract venom to make antivenin to treat snake bites, but producers of rattlesnake antivenin have stated that they don't purchase venom from roundups. There are many more annual fatalities in the United States from dog bites, lightning strikes and bee stings than from venomous snake bites. And in fact, the majority of snake bites occur when humans try to capture or kill snakes — so rattlesnake roundups themselves endanger public health by encouraging the public to do just that.

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/outlawing_rattlesnake_roundups/index.html