A "Rattlesnake Round-Up" is a rodeo-like event common to rural areas of the United States, including Texas, Georgia and the Midwest, where, rather than bovines, rattlesnakes are the primary animal attraction. The largest of the several Rattlesnake Round-Up events is in Sweetwater, Texas. Held every year since 1958, the event currently attracts approximately 35,000 visitors per year and results in the capture of 1% of the state's rattlesnake population. [cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/11/ap/strange/mainD8G98IPG4.shtml|title=Texas Town Welcomes Rattlesnakes, Handlers|date=March 11, 2006|publisher=Associated Press|accessdate=2008-02-26] Some of the rattlesnakes are cooked and eaten at the event.
Criticism
These events have been criticized widely, primarily due to animal cruelty and ecological impact[cite web | title = American Society of Ichthyologists and herpetologists position paper on Rattlesnake roundups]
publisher =American Society of Ichthyologists and herpetologists
url =http://www.asih.org/files/positionpaper.pdf | accessdate =2008-10-07] . These events sometimes falsely claim to generate valuable data, yet not a single scientific article has ever been published from it.Rattlesnakes are relatively slow to mature, have only modest litters, and are already adversely affected by habitat destruction and persecution. These events remove thousands of animals, including large numbers of reproductively mature animals. Since rattlesnakes are an apex predator, a sudden decline in their population could have ecological consequences, particularly for the rodents they typically feed on.
References
External links
*YouTube|id=dpwglTe6bHM|49th Annual Rattlesnake Round-Up 2007
* [http://www.rattlesnakeroundup.net/ Sweetwater, Texas Rattlesnake Roundup]
* [http://gosw.about.com/od/santafenewmexico/p/snake.htm Rattlesnake Roundup - Sweetwater, Texas]
