Roundup fury and incomprehension

[bigred]

OK- I am really really f@#$ed off, so some of the issues I am raising have possibly been raised before, so I apologise at the outset for that.

I have just finished watching a video from Time-Life called Predators, and they included a section on rattlesnake "roundups", where a buch of semi-retarded rednecks in baseball caps collect 1000's of rattlesnakes and proceed to slaughter and behead them [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img]

Why hasn't the herp community in America done something about this [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img] Or do you condone it? I live in darkest Africa, but there is no way that such a barbaric spectacle would ever be allowed in South Africa. How the #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^& can you peole allow that to continur??? Why haven't you gone to the roundups and protested ? Where the #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^& is nature conservation?

You are prepared to bomb the #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^& out of the rest of the world because some psycho flew a plane into your buildings, yet you are quite prepared to condone the slaughter of 1000's of animals [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img]

And the majority of people on this site profer to be herp-lovers [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img]

Man, after watching that appalling display of sickness, I wanted to board the next plane to Texas or wherever the #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^& it was and find those bastards, and beat them to poopy with one of the baseball bats they have in the back of their pick-ups.

Please, someone, explain how you can sit back and ask questions on why your bp's aren't eating, while in your own country snakes are slaughtered?

please someone, tell me that one of you has attempted to stop this mindless sickness?

[img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img]
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[eddie]

We get on the bandwagon everytime there is one......

Here's a couple of past articles from our news department for you to read.

Rattle snake round up article

Nasty roundup abuse...

About the most a lot of us can do is protest on the petitions against it as it's out of our reach due to either lack of funds, having to work and other things...
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[najaboy]

Whoa, slow down there...

There has been a concerted effort from both herp organizations and animal welfare organizations to end rattlesnake roundups. The solution is not as simple as it seems.

We face multiple problems in reaching the goalof ending roundups. The first is perception. The general public perceives rattlesnakes as being dangerous, loathesome creatures. The roundups cater to this fear and ignorance. They are presented as providing a vital service to the area by reducing the number of people and farm animals bitten.

Another problem is that reptiles are not afforded the same legal protections as cute little mammals. Most of what occurs during a roundup is perfectly legal. Again, this comes down to perceptions- snakes are viewed as loathesome by the general public.

Also, roundups are a major source of revenue for the towns that hold them, as they are a tourist draw. Economically, banning roundups would be a poor business decision for the towns & counties that host them.

Finally, roundups are viewed as charitable events. Percentages of the proceeds are donated to various charities. Also, they are viewed as baing major contributors to venom research, despite the fact that most of what's extracted at roundups is so contaminated with blood and pus that it's worthless for research.

For a good read on what takes place at roundups, and the uphill battle that we face in ending them, I'd suggest reading Rattlesnake: Portrait of a Predator by Manny Rubio.
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[bigred]

lack of fundsok ... apologies if I offended anyone, but [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] I haven't been that #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^& for a long time.
In fact still bubbling quite nicely - wife hasn't dared speak to me!

naja, I take your point that there are perceived "good" reasons for this, but , I'm sorry, none of them even come close to justifying what happens there- it's senseless slaughter, and perhaps the time for petitions is a little past its sell-by-date

eddie - perhaps this is a bandwagon a few more people should have jumped on

if there was a Cape Cobra roundup in Cape Town where thousands of cobras were caught and decapitated, firstly, Nature Conservation would go bananas, secondly, I would like to think that I would out there doing something practical, lack of funds, work etc being solvable problems.

Don't your Nature Departments and Animal protection societies have any power?
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[eddie]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> Don't your Nature Departments and Animal protection societies have any power?
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

Not when they only like to help the furry animals....
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[bigred]

ok just read the articles .... some deluded morons actually believe that they are doing the right thing, although offering them $4 a pound can't help matters

thanks for the info

sorry if I came across overtly #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^& in what is a sunday morning for you guys, but my blood just boiled when I saw them decapitating one snake after the other

wow some people just don't get, do they
[img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img]
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[scarlettrose2006]

my blood boils too, when i hear, see or read about those roundups....yes, they are a shame. There is even one held in my home state....GA.!! And i DARE NOT go over there, because i probably would end up in jail. Aside from that....that is not the way to go about that....the public is so uneducated about reptiles and even reptilekeepers....if we acted in any way violently or out of control, the public would have even more reason to write us off as crazy snakeloving weirdos...[img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_frown.gif[/img]
It is just a horrible shame...thats what it is! But yes, it is hard to fight something when one thing is involved, and that is $$$$$$$$$!!!!!!!! Thats really all it boils down too....those roundups bring in a pretty penny and subsequently have some &quot;big and powerful&quot; protectors...in all the right places...[img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_frown.gif[/img]
Education is the key.....and to RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS as to what is really going on!!! I think most people that attend, still BELIEVE that it is a public service what is being done....to control the &quot;dangerous threat&quot; of rattlesnakes around themselfes and their children, they do NOT realize that the rattlesnake population is suffering, and that the snakes are being brought in from far and away...cause there aren't enough left around the area....and the public also don't realize the horrible ways the rattlesnakes are being collected....using gasoline, destroying habitat for a lot of creatures...not to mention the contamination of the land!!
We have to present ourselfes PROFESSIONAL and RATIONAL to be taken seriously. At the same time, we have to fight hard.....to keep SPREADING THE WORD, to get information out...to educate....
We cannot give up.
We are up against a &quot;big enemy&quot;, that uses public misperceiption of an animal for their gain. Not to mention that they make it look like they are doing the public a service....
At the same time rodentpopulation is going up, and millions are spent to try to eradicate them...and we all know how well that works.!! And with rodents comes &quot;bubonic plague&quot; and the like....and rodents, unlike snakes, seek out humans and their enviroments...
There is much we can, and are, doing.....however its got to be done the right way...or we'll loose.
I hope i'm making sense....i'm german and my english is not great today, as always when i'm tired... [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]
Lucy
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[BWSmith]

The issue is a litte more complex and i do not think that you have all the facts. First of all, there are the issues of money and lack of symapthy that was addressed earlier. But you also have to realize that you are dealing with tradition and a &quot;Circus&quot; atmosphere. In Claxton, GA, they have a roundup every year. The population of the town goes from about 3000 to about 50000! That is a #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^& of a boost for one weekend. But there are things being done. GA now only has one roundup per year (The Claxton Roundup). That is a major drop from about 5 or so. Department of Natural Resources and Fish &amp; Game are trying desparately to end these. But they have not only the support of the community, but major sponsors such as Anheiser Bush. Not an easy corporation to fight! But definate progress has been made and only a fraction of the original roundups are left. And the rest are on the way out. But as for the &quot;Conservation Groups,&quot; they are useless. The largest groups here are PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) and the API (Animal Protection Institute). THese groups are the largest and most powerful ENEMIES of the herp community. They make it very clear in their agendas that reptiles do not count as animals and they ALL DESPISE keepers for any reason. They are not our allies in this fight. I have taken the fight of the Roundups personally (As a rattler keeper). I have taken arms with the enemy (The Roundup Coordinators) to make some real changes from inside. And if everything goes to plan, there will be no Claxton, GA roundup withing 2 years. to get the full story on this you read my post on it HERE.

Just remember that reptile enthusiests are greatly outnumbered here by ophidiophobes. And conservation for venomous species is even harder. We're trying [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]
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