[Date]
To the Editor:
It is difficult to believe that in this day and age some
people are entertained by participating in cruel and
environmentally destructive events that are also hazardous to
human health. [If you are responding to an article that has
run in a newspaper or magazine, cite the article's title and
date.]
Each year, about 30 rattlesnake round-ups are held in seven
states: Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma,
Pennsylvania, and Texas. A recent year-long investigation into
these events has revealed that:
- Rattlesnake roundups are grossly inhumane. Snakes
are driven from resting areas with toxic chemicals including
gasoline, are held for weeks or months without food or water
in crowded and unsanitary conditions, are roughly handled
during roundups (including kicking, stomping, and whipping),
are often skinned alive or have their mouths sewn shut, and
are killed using methods that are inappropriate for
reptiles.
- Rattlesnake roundups are environmentally
destructive. Rattlesnake populations are being harmed by
collections for roundups. The toxic chemicals used to collect
snakes are destructive to all wildlife that come in contact
with them. Burrows used by snakes and other wildlife
(including federally protected species) are destroyed during
collection, and snakes transported long distances to roundups
have been released and have become established in areas where
they did not previously exist.
- Rattlesnake roundups pose a public health hazard.
Roundups unnecessarily bring members of the public in close
contact with venomous reptiles and encourage reckless
behavior around rattlesnakes. Rattlesnake meat sold at
roundups is from snakes killed under unsanitary conditions,
so it may contain harmful bacteria and parasites as well as
residues from the toxic chemicals used during collection.
Those same toxic chemicals can also contaminate groundwater
used by humans, livestock and wildlife. Finally, communities
in which roundups take place must bear the costs of medical
treatment for any bites that occur during the roundup, and
such bites reduce the local antivenin supply.
Furthermore, there is a clear link between unmitigated
violence and cruelty to animals and violence to humans. The FBI
and other law enforcement agencies, when discussing serious
violence to humans, often note that a history of violence to
animals is a characteristic in the perpetrator. It is difficult
to conceive of such unmitigated and unjustified cruelty as that
exhibited in rattlesnake round-ups. Moreover, the pervasive
involvement of children as spectators or participants in the
rattlesnake roundups provides an even greater rationale for
serious concern over the effects of these events.
In today's world, there can be no justification for the
continuation of these brutal, inhumane, and counter-educational
events. <<p>Sincerely,
[Your Signature]
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your City, State, Zip]
[Your Telephone Number]
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your address and phone number before they publish a letter to
the editor, but you may request that this information be
withheld.
