There’s a Rattlesnake Roundup in Texas That Rivals Taiji and Yulin in Animal Cruelty – Let’s Stop This Now

There is a cruel and barbaric event that occurs each year in Sweetwater, Texas that only some people are aware of – the Rattlesnake Roundup. What is a rattlesnake roundup exactly? It involves chasing wild snakes out of their natural habitat, often by harmful “gassing” methods that more than likely harm other wildlife and the environment as well. From here, the snakes are taken to the fairgrounds where they are weighed, measured, and milked for venom before being tossed into an extremely overcrowded pit where the solitary creatures suffer immense distress and react by biting, defecating, and loud rattling, which snake expert Melissa Amarello of Advocates for Snake Preservation says is the closest thing to a snake screaming.

But the cruelty hardly ends here. Handlers behead and skin these animals before amused crowds, and visitors can get their hands bloody too, literally. Children are encouraged to try skinning a snake and are told to wipe their bloody hands on a “mural” to mark their participation in the gruesome event. And teen beauty queens take turns beheading snakes in an attempt to win the title of “Miss Snake Charmer.” Skins are then made into useless items, their meat fried and sold right there at the event, and the organs are sold overseas.

The small town of around 11,000 claims this event is long rooted in cultural tradition (although it only began in 1958) and say the event’s 40,000 visitors help boost their economy. But don’t these types of excuses sound eerily similar to the bogus reasoning for the Yulin Dog Meat Festival or Iceland, Norway, and Japan’s whale and dolphin hunts, all of which blame “cultural tradition” for their acts of plain and simple animal cruelty?

As a Care2 petition writer says, “All living things deserve respect and the chance to live freely, that includes snakes. If you are outraged by the Yulin Dog Festival or the Taiji dolphin slaughter you should also be outraged by what goes on every March in Sweetwater, Texas. This event is a stain on the face of America and goes against the principles with which we hope others around the world will follow when it comes to the treatment of animals.”

Just because rattlesnakes are not considered our close cuddly companions like dogs and cats does not mean we should turn a blind eye to the torture that is being inflicted on them. Youth helped end a similar event in Claxton, Georgia in 2012, showing that public pressure really can make a positive difference, so please take a moment to sign the petition here demanding an end to these vile acts of animal cruelty.

Most people are completely unaware of the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup, so please do your part to spread awareness and SHARE this with your network!

Image Source: Pixabay