“No other wild animal in the United States is as extensively exploited and traded without regulation or oversight as the rattlesnake. Several species could become extinct just as we are beginning to understand their ecological importance. Rattlesnakes are important to their ecosystems. They prey on rodents, keeping the populations naturally in check so that the rodents do not cause crop damage or spread disease. Rattlesnakes are also important prey for raptors and other animals. Hosting communities, sponsoring corporations, and charities that accept proceeds from roundups unwittingly lend these cruel and ecologically unsound events undue credibility.”
~Humane Society of America
During the period of the Great Dust Bowl, entire communities throughout the southern plains made it a practice to hold rattlesnake round-ups to eradicate snakes from local farms and territories. Largely fueled by ignorance and fear, rattlesnakes would be driven from their dens with gasoline, then stored without water or food in unhygienic conditions, and crammed tightly into containers for transport to and display at roundup events. Many snakes arrived at these events starved, dehydrated, or crushed to death. The snakes would then be killed and skinned as wide-eyed townspeople watched with a type of macabre fascination. More than seven decades later many communities still host such events. Sadly, many environmentalists agree that many sensitive ecosystems have been altered–some permanently–by the practice of rattlesnake round-ups.
Today, dozens of such roundups still exist. The skins are sold widely throughout the U.S. and the festivals themselves infuse thousands of dollars into small floundering communities who are looking for ways to stimulate their local economies.
Rattlesnake strike, Waynoka, OK
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