Rattlesnake Roundups are a danger to both people and animals. Rattlesnakes are taken from their family and friends. Studies have shown that rattlesnakes form bonds with other rattlesnakes. Some even pick and choose who they hang out with. Rattlesnakes care for their babies and sometimes even babysit. Manny of these snakes are caught by poring gasoline into their dens to make them leave. Then they are put into small crates without food or water for days, weeks, and even months! Then they get dumped out from about five feet above into a pit that will become crowded with other rattlesnakes. They are handled roughly and put on display like toys or decorations. Some people even rip their fangs out, sew their mouths shut, and freeze them for too hours so that people could hold them without getting bitten. But it’s not worth it. They are then killed and skinned and eaten, if they’re not dead already. Sometimes kids are even allowed to skin the rattlesnakes and dip their hands in rattlesnake blood to make a handprint on a wall. Which is rude and barbaric. The gasoline that is pored pollutes the area and negatively affects about 350 other species of animals. The gasoline makes the area inhabitable for animals that want to live there, forcing them to move somewhere else. This may lead to more human and pet deaths since rattlesnakes will start find more homes near more humans. These rattlesnake roundups affects the rattlesnake population. Less rattlesnakes means less food for their predators, like Roadrunners, eagles, Kingsnakes, foxes, hawks, bobcats, Turkeys, Coyotes, and more. Less rattlesnakes also mean more rodents. Rattlesnakes are one of the natural predators of rodents. In increase in rodent populations could result in illness. 

Rodents may spread the bubonic please because of the fleas that they may carry. Fleas will have more hosts and some might spread the bubonic plegue. The fleas could also harm pets. Hantavirus which is carried by rodents may also spread more, which is a disease that is similar to the flu, and deadlier than Covid-19. These diseases will probably spread easily since manny people travel. This might result in an epidemic or even a pandemic too. That will be two pandemics in a row and more deaths. Adult Rattlesnakes also happen to eat thousands of ticks that are on their prey each year which reduces the chances of people getting Lyme disease and other diseases spread by ticks. 

At the rattlesnake roundups people are even thought how to “deal” with rattlesnake bites by using a snakebite kit. Snakebite kits don’t work well at all. Torniquetes keep the venom in one spot. Stopping the blood flow will damage the limb and it will have to get amputated. It’s especially bad for the limb since rattlesnakes have hemotoxin and Cytotoxin. Getting antivenom at the hospital helps the person survive with heathy limbs and self. Sucking venom out doesn’t work either. A sucking device like the Sawyer Extractor won’t work and nether will sucking venom out with your mouth. If you suck the venom out with your mouth, you won’t take out a significant amount of venom. If someone were to have cuts in their mouth/throat/stomach, the venom could possibly make it swell up and the person will die. And a sucking device can’t suck out much venom at all, and more venom bleeds out naturally than with a sucking device. Sucking devices can actually make venom go deeper into the skin. 

The people also give false information about the rattlesnakes. They teach people that rattlesnakes are extremely dangerous, and should be killed. At the same time, they say they don’t want to wipe out rattlesnakes but educate people. Hold up. First; the information is wrong, Second ;*Goes ahead kills snake*. That’s like saying ,” I want to tell you guys about dogs. Here is a dog. They are vicious creatures that are capable of killing humans. They are extremely dangerous. I don’t want to kill but I want to teach. I’m going to kill the dog now. Whoever kills any sort of animal for fun or moneyshould regret it. Most people actually die from trying to catch or kill a venomous snake to not. Some people at the roundups even say that the rattlesnakes only eat every three months. But in reality, they eat every two weeks on average. They also say that it’s population control but actually, the rattlesnake population is at good numbers when they’re not overly hunted. Especially since Rattlesnakes were on earth millions of years before humans were, we shouldn’t have the right to pick and choose what animals we want alive and what animals we don’t. There are better and more efficient ways that actually work to keep people in pets safe from venomous snake bites. Like going to the hospital when bit, leaving rattlesnakes alone, calling a professional snake catcher if you want the snakes relocated, clearing rubble le from around the property, and getting rattlesnake vaccines for the pets. Rattlesnake vaccines make rattlesnake bites less severe for the pets, giving them time to get to vet. They should teach these more effective ways to avoid death by rattlesnake bites, rather than teaching people to kill every rattlesnake you see. Trying to kill venomous snakes leads to more snake bite deaths. Their danger to humans is also exaggerated. More people get killed by vehicles, lightning, weapons, falling coconuts, Champagne corks, vending machines, falling out of bed, lawnmowers, falling from a tree, electrocution, and drowning, than rattlesnakes in the USA. About 5 people die from these bites per year in the USA. Rattlesnake Roundup’s are an evil cruel way to “try’’ and control the rattlesnake population. In reality, rattlesnakes are not over populating. The rattlesnake roundup start making their population go down, which will lead to more diseases from rodents, fleas and ticks. Not having rattlesnakes will kill more people and pets than having rattlesnakes around. Many people who run these rattlesnake roundup’s, especially in Sweetwater Texas know what manny people think about them. Some people like them and some people don’t. But they don’t listen what the people who don’t like them say. They’re probably just doing this for money. Rattlesnakes have feelings too. Their population is controlled by predators and abundance of prey and water. Rattlesnake Roundups are just messing population control up. 

Since rattlesnake roundups are clearly making things worse, there are other options that they could do that will still make money without hurting anyone; for both humans and animals. They could host a reptile expo. Or celebrate any kind of wildlife, reptile or not. No kill animal festivals get as much if not more profit than rattlesnake roundups that kill. Using domestic rattlesnakes that are treated well is a good way to still have a non-violent rattlesnake festival and carry the tradition in a better way. Without abuse and/or deaths. We have to help the animals and people before it’s too late. Sign the petition if you want this to stop. Please share this petition too. The more people sign it the more likely rattlesnakes kill festivals would stop.

You could also write letters to the cities or states that host these kill festivals. I recommend writing nicely but defensively. They probably won’t listen if the letter sounds rude. Each roundup is a little bit different, be sure to search up the roundup(s) your writing letters about.

https://www.rattlesnakeroundups.com   
You can see more about rattlesnake roundups here. The writing,map,videos,and images in this link were made by Advocates for Snake Preservation 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8cS4l9Fw4E                                                  
video by UNILAD  adventure