Rattlesnake roundup

[RoachGirlRen]

"For the animal shall not be measured by man."

Personally, I don't like arguments defending an animal because it's so much "like us," especially when the intelligence card is thrown into the mix. That shouldn't matter. Wildlife should be protected because wildlife protection is important in and of itself; it benefits not just the individual animal or its species, but the ecosystem as a whole. And while unscientific, there is something to be said about the inherent worth of a unique species; regardless of how like or unlike us they are, they ought to matter simply because they exist.

This is what we should emphasize, not how smart or cute or human-like an animal is, or it reinforces the cultural norm of only caring about and wishing to protect species we find personally appealing. It reinforces the kind of bias that allows people to bring their families to laugh and cheer as thousands of snakes die slow, painful deaths from decapitation.

 

[LeilaNami]

First, I would like to say that I agree with what RoachGirl has stated for the most part. I would not be against highly regulating culling provided that there was protocol that was illegal to break (such as number etc) simply for the reason that these snakes could be viable meat sources.

I am against the practice as it stands because many people don't do ethical round-ups. If the meat is not used and illegal practices are used to capture the snakes, I have a big big problem. Many people will pour gasoline down burrows (because they think every burrow is a rattlesnake burrow) consequentially killing any animal in it AND making the meat inedible not to mention the EPA violations. This is a huge reason why Gopher Tortoises and Texas Indigos are protected due to threatened status.

 

[dtknow]

I'd agree for the most part Leila-if the meat is not being sold. Again...the moment commercialism enters into the equation then exploitation is very likely to happen when dealing with a slow reproducing species. Personal use would be ok. If any commercial activity were to take place DFG would have to do some studies on rattlesnake population dynamics and figure out an acceptable number-which I'd guess would not be very high.

Again, bluefin tuna is a great example of commercialism gone wrong(different than a pot. rattlesnake harvest due to $$$ and international issue). Of course-no one really seems to care as they are not cute or smart like dolphins.

 

[Shrike]

“culling” is BS. How could there be so little leaves, grass, vegetables, fruit even twigs that we have to kill dear because they would otherwise starve? Not only that but the rattle snake roundup is just a bunch of hilbilleys trying to justify killing something else. They are literally killed by the ton. Thousands of snakes are slaughtered senselessly.

The starvation scenario you describe with deer is entirely possible. Such a population of would also be more susceptible to the spread of disease. One of the reasons these situations occur is that natural predators have been taken out of the equation (in many states). Didn't you acknowledge the impact that the loss of one species can have earlier in this thread?

 

[BrettG]

“culling” is BS. How could there be so little leaves, grass, vegetables, fruit even twigs that we have to kill dear because they would otherwise starve? Not only that but the rattle snake roundup is just a bunch of hilbilleys trying to justify killing something else. They are literally killed by the ton. Thousands of snakes are slaughtered senselessly.

Well,being from N.Illinois I can say this.... We had TOO MANY DEER. I cannot count how many times my garden was destroyed,or my landscaping was destroyed. They were a nuisance.Everyone I knew totaled cars hitting them when they darted out across roads as well.A good friend lost 2 cars in less than 6 months due to the overpopulation of whitetails that we had.I supported the hunting seasons due to that fact. That,and the processed meat was donated to homeless shelters.When there are 15 deer in your yard at any given time,and people and smearing them all over every single road/highway,SOMETHING has to be done......................And have any of you eaten rattlesnake? It is delicious.......

 

[Tleilaxu]

What does rattlesnake being delicious have to do with your argument? Rattlers are not deer, and unlike deer they are fairing poorly when people encroach on their territory, and unlike deer rattlesnake populations are declining not increasing. Also round ups are very different than simply some random dude going out and getting one or two to eat.

 

[RoachGirlRen]

Pssst, brettg and mking: There's a deer management thread to talk about deer in. And that poster's point was already well trounced in said thread.


And yeah, on the rattler discussion, "delicious" is a pretty moot point from a conservation perspective, unless of course the aspect of conservation you're discussing is "threats to survival." A depressing number of species have gone extinct on account of being tasty. The deer situation vs. the rattlesnake situation are apples to oranges.

 

[jebbewocky]

I still fail to see what's wrong with hunting. Deer are made of meat, not endangered, and delicious. Meh.

 

[Shrike]

Thanks for the tip, but I was responding to misinformation in this thread, not the deer management thread. I should have further specified that "rounding up" rattlesnakes and sustainably hunting deer make for a poor comparison.

 

[LeilaNami]

I'd agree for the most part Leila-if the meat is not being sold. Again...the moment commercialism enters into the equation then exploitation is very likely to happen when dealing with a slow reproducing species. Personal use would be ok. If any commercial activity were to take place DFG would have to do some studies on rattlesnake population dynamics and figure out an acceptable number-which I'd guess would not be very high.

Again, bluefin tuna is a great example of commercialism gone wrong(different than a pot. rattlesnake harvest due to $$$ and international issue). Of course-no one really seems to care as they are not cute or smart like dolphins.

Yes I should have clarified that the meat should only be for personal use. It prevents over-culling the animals by a large degree.

mking and RoachGirl, even round-ups should be halted, however, if the population exhibits any signs of an inability to bounce back the next season to satisfy the conservation side of the issue. I'm making the argument that if the round-ups were held to standards that would keep it sustainable and have protocol that protected the environment, it would be fine to continue them. since now they are an unmonitored free-for-all, I am against them as they stand.

 

[zonbonzovi]

Occasionally I see rattlesnake offered at local butcher shops...are these typically coming from roundups? Are there any particular legalities regarding collecting rattlers for consumption? Any reason why they couldn't be farmed for such purposes? I'm rather ignorant of rattler reproduction...mostly just curious.

 

[super-pede]

we oughta outlaw breeding cats. they are the worst invasive species.

 

[LeilaNami]

Occasionally I see rattlesnake offered at local butcher shops...are these typically coming from roundups? Are there any particular legalities regarding collecting rattlers for consumption? Any reason why they couldn't be farmed for such purposes? I'm rather ignorant of rattler reproduction...mostly just curious.

It's possible but most likely they are farm-raised snakes if I'm not mistaken.

 

[The Snark]

My 2 cents

(I'm serious here).
We definitely need to start culling animals. Let's start with the homo stultus.

We need to be brutally honest, which people are unwilling to do if it could possibly cause them the slightest discomfiture or inconvenience. Humans have the frontal lobes and apposable thumbs. With that going for them and they are still unable to live harmoniously with and accommodate nature, the humans need to go.

I've lived with rattlers underfoot (and bed). They are safer and more predicable than humans.

Now that I've vented my spleen...
I used to run a pack station in the Sierras. I killed rattlers on an almost daily basis. I found a 'nest' 6 feet from our hitching rail and killed 44 of them around it during a summer. I had a horse spooked by a rattler and a girl fell and broke her neck. And the bottom line was, we were in their territory. We didn't belong, they did. It's the little thing that is missing for the most part in the modern age of sloth and gluttony. It's called respect. Accept, live and let live.

It can easily be proven that humans are the apex of evolution on this planet. It's time we started acting like it.

 

[RyTheTGuy]

(I'm serious here).
We definitely need to start culling animals. Let's start with the homo stultus.

We need to be brutally honest, which people are unwilling to do if it could possibly cause them the slightest discomfiture or inconvenience. Humans have the frontal lobes and apposable thumbs. With that going for them and they are still unable to live harmoniously with and accommodate nature, the humans need to go.

I've lived with rattlers underfoot (and bed). They are safer and more predicable than humans.

I read this and Its sad but true.

 

[Kaimetsu]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/12/rattlesnake.roundup/index.html?hpt=T2

What the <edit> is wrong with people! These humans need to be culled!

 

[burmish101]

The world is going to be crazy overpopulated in less than 400 years of humans and we are the #1 cause of destruction to the environment lol. The world will never be perfect and will always have various issues, but as long as they dont kill protected or endangered species or be very wastefull I would say its fine. Maybe they should get cracked down on for wasting venom like that which can save lives. Contaminated uselessness ftl.

 

[Jacobchinarian]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/12/rattlesnake.roundup/index.html?hpt=T2

What the <edit> is wrong with people! These humans need to be culled!

Did you see that person making the blood hand print on the wall?

 

[ChrisNCT]

I grew up in South Texas and remember going to these 1 or 2 times a year. They were neat events.

I love Rattlers and don't see a problem with them collecting them up as they are abundant down there.

To each their own though.