Rattlesnake roundups or "festivals" are inhumane and outdated. They do nothing to educate the public on conservation or living alongside wildlife. Instead, these events advocate the slaughter of our native rattlesnakes and are decimating populations. The roundups are extremely cruel. Often times the handlers will remove the teeth of the snakes and sew their mouth shut, so that the public can hold them. This should be appalling to all who have common decency. However, thousands attend these events, killing, skinning and posing with the snakes. The snakes suffer horribly in most instances, and their lives end in misery. 

Adults and children of all ages come to these events. It teaches children that it's OK to take part in animal cruelty. It is definitely animal cruelty! Just because snakes aren't cute and cuddly, doesn't mean we shouldn't count it as so. If this is solely because of the "danger"the rattlesnakes cause...I'd like to point out that dogs take many more lives than snakes every year! Should we round up all dogs and inhumanely slaughter them? Of course not! The thinking that rattlesnakes are "out to get us" is EXTREMELY outdated and silly. They do not chase you, or want revenge in any way. Like almost every other animal, they will bite you if they feel their life is in danger. It may be that the person was trying to kill them, or accidently stepped on them. We should be educating the public about ways to cohabitate with rattlesnakes. Watching where you step, learning to ID venomous snakes in the area, making your yard unwelcoming to snakes.. These are great examples of what we could be learning, instead of indiscriminately slaughtering snakes. I also could add, that you have a much higher chance of getting bitten if you try to kill a snake, rather than backing away and leaving it alone. 

The counties that still have these roundups should take an example from Claxton,GA. Since 2012,their rattlesnake roundups have been changed to the rattlesnake and wildlife festival. There is no killing of our beautiful native snakes, and it is now about education instead of fear mongering.