I’ve already confessed that snakes gave me the willies—due to my sheer ignorance— but even then I would NEVER have harmed one unless I had no choice. (I can’t really think up a situation in which that would happen, but absolute generalizations usually come back to bite me on the butt, so just humor me.) I figured that most people who didn’t like snakes or were “mean” to snakes were like me, acting out of fear. In my internet ramblings through various friendly herp sites, however, I came across this petition. After reading it, I just about threw up (Stay with me; I’ll tell you what it said soon enough).

Now I’ve been burned by things on the internet before. People tend to get all worked up about situations without even bothering to check and see if there’s any truth to a claim. Snopes.com exists for a reason, right? So I decided to put my googling skills to use and see what I could find. Not only did I find out the petition was right on, but I learned about the very dark reality that is the rattlesnake round up.



Page after page explained in ghastly detail the truth about rattlesnake round ups. The Humane Society’s was the most thorough and authoritative page I came across. For anyone not up to reading the full article, I’ll hit the high points (but it is a very informative and well written document that I encourage you to read and use to educate others). Some of the biggest problems concerning roundups are:

• Shrinking Rattlesnake Numbers-These snakes are highly valuable members of their eco systems that help to keep rodent populations—which can destroy crops and spread disease—under control. They’re also, believe it or not, a food source for other animals, especially large birds of prey.

• Inhumane Treatment- Rattlesnakes are forced out of their burrows in vicious ways, and then tightly stuffed into boxes with neither food nor water. Not all of them even make it to the main event alive, where those that do will be carelessly used as stage props before having their heads chopped off later in the day.*

• Health Hazards-Careless and inexperienced hunters carry a high bite risk and then use up local antivenin supplies. Snake meat sold at roundups is rarely properly prepared and can spread bacteria. Handling live snakes can do the same, especially as most round ups do not provide appropriate hand-washing stations.

*There’s a very real possibility that the brain may still be able to receive pain signals for up to an hour after separation from the spinal cord, so this is an unacceptable method of execution. The only way to be sure the brain is no longer receiving signals would be to destroy the brain itself.

Now let me tell you what information that petition held: Oklahoma rattlesnake roundups gather a bunch of rattle snakes, put them in the freezer for a couple hours to “calm them down” (which is likely a very painful process for reptiles, as their tissues and blood begin to crystallize), then rip out their fangs with pliers and sew their mouths shuts—I guess so people won’t see that these poor snakes no longer have that which has helped to feed and protect them. This is all so that people can come to these carnival-like events and have their pictures taken with GENUINE LIVE RATTLE SNAKES! The people, of course, have to get their pictures taken pretty quickly because those snakes don’t live for too long after having been stressed to the brink and not allowed to eat, drink, or seek shelter.



For someone just looking for some friendly information to help him become better acquainted with an all too often demonized animal, finding all this out was quite a shock. At first I felt stupid and naive. I was sure that every herpetology fan out there already knew all about this . . . and then I saw that the petition only had 1,304 supporters so far. I did some more googling and found many old petitions but only one other current round up petition—which had a much more general focus and lacked specific recipients. I was honestly surprised to see there weren’t more.

I worry that people think they can’t make a difference or that they’re like me and don’t know they need to make a difference. These events thrive because people come to see them, because state governments ignore the very obvious (and felonious, by the way) animal cruelty which takes place. However, because of people and organizations that have chosen to speak for these blameless creatures, many round ups are becoming festivals that celebrate rattlesnakes (and other local wildlife), instead of hunting and destroying them. Claxton and Fitzgerald (both towns in Georgia) and San Antonio (a small town in Florida) are three of the more recent roundups to change their ways. As long as there are people to speak for those that can’t . . . There. Is. Hope.

I’m not so scared of snakes anymore. I know the difference between a gopher snake and a southern pacific rattlesnake without having to get close enough to check the tail. I’ve even become a quasi-herper, delighting in playing my own mental version of herpetological bingo. I feel like I’ve learned a lot (and continue to learn more every time I hop on the internet), but the one lesson I won’t ever forget is that just because an animal isn’t the most harmless creature on Earth, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t need protection any less. Sometimes creatures that are supposed to be able to take care of themselves need my help, all of our help, even more.

About the Author: Ashan Dezoysa is a lover of ALL animals, regardless of how much he still has to learn about some of them. He enjoys healthy outdoor activities—while keeping an eye out for interesting wildlife—and working on his pet fencing supplies website.