Rattlesnake round-ups (or roundups), also known as rattlesnake rodeos, are annual events common in the rural

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

and

Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, where the primary attractions are captured wild

rattlesnakes Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genera ''Crotalus'' and ''Sistrurus'' of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting small anima ...

which are sold, displayed, killed for food or

animal product An animal product is any material derived from the body of an animal. Examples are fat, flesh, blood, milk, eggs, and lesser known products, such as isinglass and rennet. Animal by-products, as defined by the USDA, are products harvested or man ...

s (such as

snakeskin Snakeskin may either refer to the skin of a live snake, the shed skin of a snake after molting, or to a type of leather that is made from the hide of a dead snake. Snakeskin and scales can have varying patterns and color formations, providing prot ...

) or released back into the wild. Rattlesnake round-ups originated in the first half of the 20th century for adventure and excitement, as well as to achieve local extirpation of perceived

pest species A pest is any animal or plant harmful to humans or human concerns. The term is particularly used for creatures that damage crops, livestock, and forestry or cause a nuisance to people, especially in their homes. Humans have modified the environ ...

.Means, B. 2009. Effects of rattlesnake roundups on the eastern diamondback rattlesnake (''Crotalus adamanteus''). Herpetological Conservation and Biology 4:132-141. Typically a round-up will also include trade stalls, food, rides, and other features associated with

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

s, as well as snake shows that purport to provide information on rattlesnake biology, identification, and safety, but actually perpetuate misinformation and myths about snakes while demonstrating unsafe handling techniques. To date, round-ups where snakes are killed take place in Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Texas, with largest events in Texas and Oklahoma.Fitzgerald, L. A., and C. W. Painter. 2000. Rattlesnake Commercialization: Long-Term Trends, Issues, and Implications for Conservation. Wildlife Society Bulletin 28:235–253. Many round-ups are no longer slaughtering snakes, but have transitioned to educational festivals celebrating rattlesnakes and other wildlife. All round-ups in Pennsylvania return snakes to the wild and two former round-ups in Georgia and Florida use captive animals for their festivals. The largest rattlesnake round-up in the United States is held in

Sweetwater, Texas Sweetwater is a municipality in and the seat of Nolan County, Texas, United States. It is 123 miles southeast of Lubbock and 40 miles west of Abilene, Texas. Its population was 10,906 at the 2010 census. History The town's name "Sweetwater" is t ...

. Held annually in mid-March since 1958, the event currently attracts approximately 30,000 visitors per year and in 2006 each annual round-up was said to result in the capture of 1% of the state's rattlesnake population, but there are no data or studies to support this claim. Round-ups have economic and social importance to the communities that hold them. The events often attract thousands of tourists, which can bring hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue into small towns; the Sweetwater Round-Up's economic impact was estimated to exceed US$5 million in 2006. Snake collectors often make large profits selling snakes at the events. Cash prizes and trophies are often given out to participants in categories like heaviest, longest, or most snakes. These incentives result in all size classes of snakes being targeted equally. Most roundups target the

western diamondback rattlesnake The western diamondback rattlesnake or Texas diamond-backWright AH, Wright AA. (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes''. Comstock Publishing Associates. (7th printing, 1985). . (''Crotalus atrox'') is a rattlesnake species and member of the viper family, ...

(''Crotalus atrox''), though some events target prairie rattlesnakes (''C. viridis''),

timber rattlesnake The timber rattlesnake, canebrake rattlesnake, or banded rattlesnake (''Crotalus horridus'') Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates, a division of ...

s (''C. horridus''), or the

eastern diamondback rattlesnake The eastern diamondback rattlesnake (''Crotalus adamanteus'') is a species of pit viper in the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the heaviest venomous snakes in the Americas and the largest ...

(''C. adamanteus'').Fitch, H.S. 2003. Reproduction in the rattlesnakes of the Sharon Springs, Kansas Roundup. Kansas Journal of Herpetology 8: 23-24. A harvest of several hundred to several thousand kilograms of snakes is typical for many roundups. In Texas, up to 125,000 snakes could have been removed annually from the wild during the 1990s. However, effects of roundups on rattlesnake populations are unclear. Harvest size at roundups is highly variable from year to year but does not show a consistent downward trend, even after decades of annual roundup events in some areas. ''C. atrox'' is listed as Least Concern by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

.Frost, D.R., Hammerson, G.A. & Santos-Barrera, G. 2007. ''Crotalus atrox''. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. . Downloaded on 11 March 2015. However, poaching and roundups have been destructive to populations of timber rattlesnakes (''C. horridus'') in the northeastern United States. Some groups are concerned that local ''C. atrox'' populations may be declining rapidly, even if the global population is unaffected. Rattlesnake round-ups became a concern by

animal welfare Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevity ...

groups and conservationists due to claims of

animal cruelty Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction by omission (neglect) or by commission by humans of suffering or Injury, harm upon non-human animals. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm ...

and excessive threat of future endangerment. In response, some round-ups impose catch size restrictions or release captured snakes back into the wild.

Media

In the Simpsons episode ''"Whacking Day''" (Season 04, Episode 20), Lisa and Bart try to save snakes from being killed.

References

External links

Sweetwater, Texas Rattlesnake Roundup
{{Rodeo Animal killing Animal rights Fairs in the United States Snakes Rodeo-affiliated events