Re: People Killing snakes
Quote:
Animals are animals just because one is penned its entire life and one isnt means nothing.
When we lock people into closets for their lives it is called abuse. There is a difference between being penned up and moving around freely. Ask any animal behavior specialist about stereotypies.
Re: People Killing snakes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
snake lab
How in the hell do you raise an animal for food. Animals are animals just because one is penned its entire life and one isnt means nothing. And you obviouslly are getting your views in the way of your knowledge cause there is a huge market for rattlesnake meat and not to mention alot goes to homeless shelters and churches.
Just like you raise any other animal except these ones are mostly penned up in cages. Maybe there is a huge market for it in areas of huge populations of rattlesnakes because they are an easy target. I still dont think its right to kill thousands of animals even if it does feed shelters or churches.
Re: People Killing snakes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
snake lab
Look if the rattler is being eaten and used then theres no problem with it. We are talking about an abundant supply of a resource.
I understand that some animals need population control.
And I also understand that humans sometimes have to be the 'predator' to control these animals. (Like the deer you stated. Most of their natural predators no longer live in the area)
However, I think the main topic of the OP was to state how inhumane rattlesnake roundups are. Whether or not there is over population, the majority of these snakes are not used for food. They're killed out of entertainment and suffer greatly before death.
Even you couldn't condone a rattler to having it's mouth sewn shut without anesthesia and starving to death because it couldn't open it's mouth. Or stuffing it in a freezer as a form of sedation. How about charging a price for the general public to take pictures with these snakes?
These sort of roundups exploit these animals for entertainment and money. Not for the belief of population control. If it were for strictly population control, these animals would be disposed of quickly and efficiently.
The deer you work with are killed swiftly and quickly correct? You don't prolong suffering?
I'm sure you don't break their legs to prevent kicking so you can take some glorified photos of yourself riding on top of it.
That is why the majority of people protest rattlesnake roundups....Not the fact they're being killed due to overpopulation...
Sidenote: PETA kills more animals than they save. They have a 90+% euthanasia rate of the animals they take in. Their main goal is to separate animals from humans... Not actual welfare
Re: People Killing snakes
I believe that the roundups should be allowed to take place in a regulated manner. However, in their current form, they are simply cruel. Hunting can be an interesting and fun sport. However there is a line between fun and sadistic. If someone's nailing the mouth of a deer shut and cutting off its legs so that they can take pictures of their friends riding it, then they have crossed that line. Same thing, if people sew a snake's mouth shut and put it in a freezer, then take pictures of themselves and their friends waving it around, they too have crossed that line. It sickens me that humans would even think to do something like this to something lesser than them.
Official Position The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
Position of The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
http://www.asih.org/files/positionpaper.pdf
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS. Apart from the negative aspects of rattlesnake roundups on the
populations of both snakes and non-target species and their habitats, strong ethical reasons exist
to oppose the practice of rattlesnake roundups. Traditional roundups often include large
enclosures or pits in which snakes are maintained at high densities for extended periods and are
subjected to continual provocation, encouraging them to rattle and strike. Inflated balloons are displayed before captive rattlesnakes to provoke a strike to burst the balloon for the
entertainment of onlookers. Individuals are kicked, burned with cigarettes, have their rattles
removed while still alive and funneled full of liquor. Rattlesnakes may be shipped from roundup
to roundup in wooden crates without food or water, and some individuals are crushed to death or
die of overheating and dehydration during transport. Snakes are handled roughly and are
decapitated and butchered in large numbers in front of an audience, including small children, as
entertainment. It is hard to imagine subjecting any other vertebrate animal to such thoughtless
and inhumane treatment. Indeed, as scientists we are subject to requirements that our study
animals be treated humanely, and it is reasonable to expect similar treatment by others.
