Alabama rattlesnake rodeo a decades-old tradition while other states change course amid concerns from animal rights activists.
. The town of 11,000 is expected to swell to around 30,000 during the festival that runs Friday through Sunday, said Dennis Cumbie, one of the organizers.The same is true in the south Alabama town of Opp, where an annual rattlesnake festival that has drawn thousands for nearly six decades opens March 25. While organizers say the snake hunters who bring in big rattlers get rid of nuisance reptiles, opponents say Eastern diamondback snakes are declining in population.
In Georgia, organizers say the more humane format they launched for the first time last weekend was a success. Exact attendance figures are unknown because many people such as children are admitted free, but “I’ve heard anywhere from 7,000 to 15,000,” said longtime volunteer Jeffrey Cox, who has been helping to organize the“Everybody was nervous about it and didn’t know how it would go,” Cox said.
In Texas, the Sweetwater roundup is intertwined with the town’s culture and draws visitors from all over the world. It began 64 years ago to keep snakes from overtaking the town and attacking livestock, pets and people, organizers say. “This does put us on the map,” she said. “What it does for our community is give us a sense of place.”
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