Rattlesnake round-up

{{Short description|Captured wild rattlesnake fair}}

File:"Miss Snake Charmer," Hannah Smith, a cowboy snake-handler Terry "Hollywood" Armstrong, hoist a hefty specimen at the "World's Largest Rattlesnake Roundup" in Sweetwater, Texas LCCN2014631482.tif

Rattlesnake round-ups (or roundups), also known as rattlesnake rodeos, are annual events common in the rural Midwest and Southern United States, where the primary attractions are captured wild rattlesnakes which are sold, displayed, killed for food or animal products (such as snakeskin) or released back into the wild. Rattlesnake round-ups originated in the first half of the 20th century for adventure and excitement, as well as to achieve local extirpation of perceived pest species.Means, B. 2009. Effects of rattlesnake roundups on the eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus). Herpetological Conservation and Biology 4:132-141. Typically a round-up will also include trade stalls, food, rides, and other features associated with fairs, as well as snake shows that provide information on rattlesnake biology, identification, and safety.{{cite web|title=Noxen Rattlesnake Roundup|url=http://noxenpa.com/snakes.html|website=Noxen, Pa|access-date=3 November 2015}} To date, round-ups where snakes are killed take place in Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Texas, with largest events in Texas and Oklahoma.{{cite book|author=Arena, Phillip C.|chapter=Rattlesnake Round-ups|editor1=Knight, Richard L. |editor2=Gutzwiller, Kevin J.|title=Wildlife and recreationists: coexistence through management and research|publisher=Island Press|year=1995|isbn=978-1-55963-257-7|pages=313–322|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hg3kLAc1lCkC&pg=PA318|display-authors=etal}}Fitzgerald, L. A., and C. W. Painter. 2000. Rattlesnake Commercialization: Long-Term Trends, Issues, and Implications for Conservation. Wildlife Society Bulletin 28:235–253. Many round-ups are no longer slaughtering snakes, but have transitioned to educational festivals celebrating rattlesnakes and other wildlife. All round-ups in Pennsylvania return snakes to the wild and two former round-ups in Georgia and Florida use captive animals for their festivals. The largest rattlesnake round-up in the United States is held in Sweetwater, Texas. Held annually in mid-March since 1958, the event currently attracts approximately 30,000 visitors per year and in 2006 each annual round-up was said to result in the capture of 1% of the state's rattlesnake population,{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/11/ap/strange/mainD8G98IPG4.shtml|title=Texas Town Welcomes Rattlesnakes, Handlers|date=March 11, 2006|publisher=Associated Press|access-date=2008-02-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060329083639/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/11/ap/strange/mainD8G98IPG4.shtml|archive-date=2006-03-29}} but there are no data or studies to support this claim.{{Cite news|url=https://www.rattlesnakeroundups.com/faq/|title=Rattlesnake Roundup FAQ|website=Rattlesnake Roundups|date=8 March 2016 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-20}}

Round-ups have economic and social importance to the communities that hold them. The events often attract thousands of tourists, which can bring hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue into small towns; the Sweetwater Round-Up's economic impact was estimated to exceed US$5 million in 2006. Snake collectors often make large profits selling snakes at the events.

Cash prizes and trophies are often given out to participants in categories like heaviest, longest, or most snakes. These incentives result in all size classes of snakes being targeted equally. Most roundups target the western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox), though some events target prairie rattlesnakes (C. viridis), timber rattlesnakes (C. horridus), or the eastern diamondback rattlesnake (C. adamanteus).Fitch, H.S. 2003. Reproduction in the rattlesnakes of the Sharon Springs, Kansas Roundup. Kansas Journal of Herpetology 8: 23-24.

A harvest of several hundred to several thousand kilograms of snakes is typical for many roundups. In Texas, up to 125,000 snakes could have been removed annually from the wild during the 1990s. However, effects of roundups on rattlesnake populations are unclear. Harvest size at roundups is highly variable from year to year but does not show a consistent downward trend, even after decades of annual roundup events in some areas. C. atrox is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.Frost, D.R., Hammerson, G.A. & Santos-Barrera, G. 2007. Crotalus atrox. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. . Downloaded on 11 March 2015. However, poaching and roundups have been destructive to populations of timber rattlesnakes (C. horridus) in the northeastern United States. Some groups are concerned that local C. atrox populations may be declining rapidly, even if the global population is unaffected. Rattlesnake round-ups became a concern by animal welfare groups and conservationists due to claims of animal cruelty and excessive threat of future endangerment.{{cite web|title=American Society of Ichthyologists and herpetologists position paper on Rattlesnake roundups|publisher=American Society of Ichthyologists and herpetologists|url=http://www.asih.org/files/positionpaper.pdf|access-date =2008-10-07}}{{cite book|author=Rubio, Manny|chapter=Rattlesnake roundups|title=Rattlesnake: Portrait of a Predator|publisher=Smithsonian Books|year=1998|isbn=1-56098-808-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ry90QgAACAAJ}} In response, some round-ups impose catch size restrictions or release captured snakes back into the wild.{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/environmentalists-tackle-the-rattlesnake-rodeo/ |title=Environmentalists Tackle the Rattlesnake Rodeo|date=April 21, 2010|publisher=Associated Press}}