In answer to your question, Cindy (and I suspect it's as rhetorical as my answer)while there are individual animal rights activists who, however misguided some of their philosophy and aims, really believe that all animals should be treated with respect, you will never see any animal welfare organization take a loud-mouthed stance in defense of a snake because that's not where the MONEY is...which is what it's all about for those people. Nobody will cough up donations to lobby against wanton slaughter of animals most people perceive as ugly.

As mean-spirited and un-American as it sounds, when your local chapter of the Jaycees asks for a contribution, don't give it to them...and politely but firmly explain why they're not getting your help (and suggest they might want to address that with their Sweetwater chapter.)People may not like snakes, but they like money. If people argue this isn't fair to the chapters that do a lot of good to their community, I have one answer: it's not about fair, because what happens in Sweetwater certainly isn't fair to the snakes.