Rattlesnake Strikes Back

Condolences to family and friends of longtime snake wrangler Eugene De Leon Sr., who last weekend was bitten on the shoulder by one pissed off snake and died several hours later in a Corpus Christi hospital. He died as he lived: teasing rattlesnakes in Texas.

Organized by the local Chamber of Commerce, the Rattlesnake Roundup in Freer, Texas is the town’s largest “festival.” It is a grotesque orgy of pointless animal cruelty, serving no practical purpose. The participants claim they would be overrun with snakes if not for the annual killing spree, but that rationale has no basis in reality.

“Roundups are driving some species of rattlesnakes toward extinction,” according to the Center for Biological Diversity. “A recent study analyzing 50 years of roundup data found eastern diamondback rattlesnakes in sharp decline due to roundup pressure and habitat loss.”

If the diamondback were an invasive species, there would be a case for the annual serpenticide-fest. But it isn’t. In fact these apex predators help keep the vermin population down – or anyway they would do if they were left alone. Texas doesn’t need snake roundups, but it could use some basic education in environmental science.

Roundup organizers are rather secretive about their nasty death-fests, probably because polite society would be appalled if they knew what went on there. Here’s a rare inside look at one of the Texas massacres: youtube.com/watch?v=p8cS4l9Fw4E.

Photo credit: Loren Elliott, AFP / Getty Images