People Killing snakes

[captainjack0000]

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.

[Cameron Lamb Exotics]

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.

[snake lab]

Lol. Peta is looking for members. They may even have a forum

[Cameron Lamb Exotics]

You do realize peta kills a ton of animals also?

and Im sure you will find so many other people on here who support the round ups...

[satomi325]

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

[apple2]

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.

[captainjack0000]

I figured if I'm going to say anything about the TV show I should watch and episode and so I did. it really wasn't as bad I thought it was going to be. I saw episode 3 and it just seemed dumb. Being in a sleeping bag with snakes doesn't take any talent. The show seemed more about the pissing contest between the good ol' boys than it did about killing snakes.

I think it is the two parts of the enterprise that amount to it being wrong.

I don't have a problem with people keeping animals for entertainment and education. Zoos, sea world, etc keep animals and use them for entertainment, but also education. Even Gator Boys do shows, but these places do not kill the animal and generally try to treat the animals very well. They don't harm the animals. Besides, they're subject to certain ethics laws too.

The second part is the killing. If you want to hunt, then kill it humanely and eat it. I have no problem with that either.

But apple2 summarized very well. It is the combination of collection and entertainment then death that is problematic. It gets sadistic.

I'm not sure, but are the rattlesnake shows and festivals subject to animal laws?

[snake lab]

100000000000% agree that inhumane methods of killing any animal is horrible and needs to be stopped. Any animal that is hunted or killed should be done so the quickest way possible. Those of us who hunt need to practice this. I am an avid bowhunter and have been bow hunting for 30 years starting at the ripe age of 8. Well actually shooting since 8. Hunting with a bow since 12. I teach a bow hunting clinic once a month basically basically working on technique and shot placement. And please dont get me wrong. I wasnt trying to say i condone the way these rattlers are being killed. I also am not gonna put all people in the round ups under the same srutiny. Not all do it the way you see on tv. Afterall there are tv shows that say reptile owners release pythons in the glades and we know that doesnt speak for all of us so dont believe everything you see on tv

[captainjack0000]

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.

[snake lab]

That is their position on the inhumane gathering and i totally agree. Again im not arguing or supporting inhumane treatment of aby animal. Good read bybthe way