Staff AttorneyĬhange Rattlesnake Roundups to Humane Festivals JanuWe, the undersigned, are writing to urge you to change the rattlesnake roundup held in your community to a humane festival where snakes are not hunted or killed. We hope that this year’s rattlesnake roundup in Whigham will be the last ever that results in dead snakes. Your roundup is one of the threats that may prompt the listing of the diamondback under the Endangered Species Act.
#NGO BOON SAM GAN NAY PAULA TSUI FULL#
Fish and Wildlife Service determined that this snake may deserve a place on the nation’s list of endangered and threatened species and has launched a full status review of the eastern diamondback rattlesnake. Scientific studies over the past decade have documented range-wide population declines and significant range contractions, which is why we filed a 2011 petition to protect the eastern diamondback rattlesnake under the Endangered Species Act. This once-common species is being pushed toward extinction not only by hunting pressure but also by habitat loss and road mortality. Rattlesnake roundups are depleting populations of eastern diamondback rattlesnakes: analysis of data from four roundups in the southeastern United States shows a steady decline in the weights of prize-winning eastern diamondbacks and the number collected. However, we cannot support your event as long as it includes a hunting contest that incentivizes the collection of native wild snakes. We sincerely appreciate the positive steps previously announced by the Whigham Roundup, such as the educational program. We encourage you to follow the example set by the Evans County Wildlife Club. The wildlife festival has been a huge success and generated revenue for the local community without harming snakes. Rattlesnakes are still a focus of the festival, but their display was for educational, safety, and conservation purposes only.
Three years ago, the Evans County Wildlife Club replaced its rattlesnake roundup with a wildlife festival that does not involve the killing of snakes. I have enclosed a petition with signatures from more than 58,000 concerned citizens, who call upon you to change to a wildlife festival where no snakes are killed.
Host a Wildlife-friendly Festival Instead of the Rattlesnake Roundupĭear Sirs and Madams: I am writing on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity to urge you, the sponsors of the annual rattlesnake roundup in Whigham, to stop incentivizing the capture and killing of rattlesnakes at your annual rattlesnake roundup. Mail and Email JanuWhigham Community Club 267 W Broad Avenue Whigham, GA 39897 Cairo-Grady County Chamber of Commerce 961 N Broad Street P.O.