Rattler Roundups...

[Scott]

It is amazing and very disturbing that these roundups are not only still happening but cheerily reported each year by some schmuck with a camera thinking that its a good story for a slow news day. Rattlers in any location are examples of adapting to an environment and succeeding. Of course, reversing years of ignorance isn't going to happen overnight, but a good start would be outlawing those stupid roundups.

[Morti]

I agree with you Scott. The rattlesnake roundups are barbaric.

[PadraigC]

rattlesnake round ups are so barbaric it hurts me atleast to see them... what further angers me is that some southern and western schools actually use some of the animals for reasearch (measurment, milking the such) true it may be a great source of animals but what happens after i couldnt really stomach if I was a biologist....

[NCary]

Round ups out west happen often. I don't actually know what they end up doing to the animals as I've never participated but Ive seen them from the highways. I know just from my experince that many rattlers in the midwest such as Colorado, New Mexico and parts of Arizona are part of a daily hike. Dimondbacks and Prairie's are the most common you could run into 1 or 2 in one hike.
I guess with expanding city limits the animals are forced out or end up trying to adapt which usually results in a snake bite and the animal destroyed. Seems to happen alot this time of year.

[Rbraczyk]

Its not the snakes fault that a human intrudes on its property, and honestly, if you can't hear the damn rattle, your pretty dense.

[NCary]

Actually from the experinces of our local rattlesnakes most are just as taken off guard from a human walking by as we are which is why so many accidental bites happen. Even some people step on the snake before it rattles and bites them. I know ive gotten with in a couple feet and not seen the snake before it all of sudden arches back in a defensive posture and gives off its rattle. Now with just a couple feet between you and the snake your within striking distance if its a mature snake. What is it? twice the body length of the snake they can strike. Most of the rattlers i ran into have been between 3 and 5 feet on average.
YES we are intruding on to their enviroments and yes they avoid us as much as we tend to avoid them but those run ins tend to catch both the person and the snake off guard. Now if the person screws around with the snake or the snake feels immediate threat they get bit. Thank god i never have!!! KNOCK ON WOOD!