We here at Blue Crab Boulevard have spent countless hours spreading the word about the terrifying Animal Uprising™. Only occasional restraining orders and other run-ins with the law have resulted, so we consider our progress in raising awareness as generally good. Oh sure, the neighbors avoid us, refusing even to make eye contact, but we're used to that.
We regret to report, however, that despite all our efforts, that some people still do not "get" it. When some brave humans take on the reptile legions of the animal overlords, other humans object. We just shake our heads at the madness of it. There are people who are criticizing the annual Rattlesnake Roundup held in Sweetwater, Texas.
The snakes are caught during the annual rattlesnake roundup in Sweetwater, Texas, which this town 200 miles west of Dallas bills as the biggest in the world.
The three-day event, which ends on Sunday, includes a rattlesnake-eating contest.
The roundup rattles ecologists but locals see it as a boon for drawing up to 30,000 visitors. Farmers say it helps control a pest that occasionally maims or kills livestock.
Nothing is wasted, the organizers say, with the skins made into belts, the meat sold as a delicacy and the venom "milked" for sale to pharmaceutical companies.
But scientists raise ecological and ethical concerns.
"There's no glory in rattlesnake hunting," said Lee Fitzgerald, an associate professor and curator of amphibians and reptiles at Texas A&M University.
Hunters scour the arid landscape for snake dens, into which they pump gas fumes to drive them out. Then they snatch them with the tongs.
Hunters say the fumes have minimal ecological impact but many scientists disagree.
"It's an unethical way to hunt and it harms other animals such as scorpions and rodents," said Fitzgerald.
The annual hunt shows a remarkable increase in rounded-up reptiles since the early days. Organizers point out that there are plenty of snakes around. Many that aren't caught in the roundup get squashed by cars. And there are still more to catch each year. Critics complain that despite that, they have no idea if there is an actual ecological impact. Other than to the rodents and scorpions. Maybe. Or not. Who knows? But they are concerned about those rodents and scorpions.
We despair. First it was the cockroaches, now the scorpions. And the rattlesnakes.
I wonder what rattlesnake tastes like.
I found this amusing:
“There’s no glory in rattlesnake hunting,” said Lee Fitzgerald, an associate professor and curator of amphibians and reptiles at Texas A&M University.
Hey, Mr Curator? How do YOU get your specimens; by sending them an invitation?
Heh. Good point.
Rattlesnake tastes just like chicken. Unlike eating chicken, it helps to have a few beers with your snake.
Nothing irritates a liberal (Dr. Fitzgerald) as much as people protecting their livestock and improving the local environment by reducing the population of a particularly nasty pest. Pretty poor stuff for a university (Texas Agricultural & Mechanical) that was originally created to improve farming and ranching.
Ha! Who’s worried about a few snakes? We have killer frogs in San Francisco:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/12/BAGLUOJLDE1.DTL