Rattlesnake Roundups, also called Rattlesnake Rodeos, are common events in the rural South and Midwestern United States where rattlesnakes are caught in the wild and brought to roundup facilities. They are either sold, displayed, killed for animal and food products or released back into the wild. Rattlesnake roundups are done out of rattlesnakes being perceived as pest species by some people. The largest Rattlesnake Roundup facility is in Sweetwater, Texas, it has been around since 1958, since 2006, it has attracted 30,000 visitors. Each spring nearly 20,000 Rattlesnakes are brought to roundup facilities, after the snakes are milked for their venom, they are then beheaded and skinned. Their meat is then deep fried for the annual cook-offs. Most roundups target the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, some roundups have targeted the Canebrake Rattlesnake and the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake. As a result of conservationists speaking against rattlesnake roundups due to claims of animal cruelty and the possibility of endangerment of the rattlesnakes, some roundups have made policies where the rattlesnakes are released back into the wild entirely.
