by Richard "Bugman" Fagerlund
Daily Lobo Columnist
On April 19, New Mexico will again sink into the depths of depravity.
That is the start of the incredibly reprehensible rattlesnake roundup in Alamogordo. Rattlesnake roundups are among the most deliberately cruel public events in this country. A handful of states, including, of course, New Mexico, still have these public displays of animal cruelty.
Over 1,000 rattlesnakes will be killed this weekend at the hands of some people who have absolutely no respect for life. Collecting the rattlesnakes includes spraying gasoline into their hiding places and using poles with hooks to extract the snakes.
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Snakes are horribly mistreated after capture, including starving them and not giving them water. They are poked and prodded into striking and often their handlers sew their lips shut to they can't bite when handled.
Frequently snakes will be put in sacks and stomped to death, the participants counting how many stomps it takes to kill the snakes.
Events that often take place at rattlesnake roundups include "safety talks" from individuals who are completely clueless about snakes. At a recent rattlesnake roundup a fellow chopped off a snake's head in front of an audience with children present and told the people that "snakes are so dumb they don't even know when they are dead."
Apart from the fact those displays of cruelty are degrading to humans, decapitation is a particularly unacceptable method of euthanasia for reptiles. Because their oxygen demand is low, snakes' body parts remain alive for hours and their severed heads retain signs of consciousness, such as pupil dilation, tongue flicking and attempts to bite in response to torment from handlers.
Western diamondback rattlesnake heads have been know to retain consciousness for up to 65 minutes after decapitation. Can you imagine having your head cut off and realizing it for over an hour?
It isn't the snake that is stupid, it is the bonehead with the ax.
The promoters of these events proudly proclaim the benefits of the roundups in that they provide antivenin for medical laboratories. This is nonsense, as any respected toxicologist will tell you that no United States producer of antivenin would knowingly purchase venom collected at rattlesnake roundups.
To produce antivenin, you have to follow strict Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines for the collection of venom used for this purpose. Furthermore, venom degrades rapidly once it is exposed to air and venom collected at roundups would be unusable for antivenin.
Other byproducts of the slaughtered snakes are belts and food that are sold at these events. In many rattlesnake roundups around the country, the proceeds of these stupid events go to charity. In Alamogordo, all the profits from this event go to the promoter of the event.
Snakes have a very important role to play in our environment. They are major controllers of rodents, including mice that carry the Hantavirus and it seems to me to be particularly stupid to kill thousands of snakes in a state that leads the nation in Hantavirus cases.
But, we are a state that still permits cockfighting, another great "sport" practiced by people who have no respect for life. Along that line, I recently wrote a column where I predicted I would be featured on a cockfighting website because I commented on that activity.
True to form, I was proven right and I got another batch of mail from these folks. I have to share one letter with the world, as the writer is a true spokesman for his sport.
"FORGET DAT YO I DONT OWN ROOSTERS OR FIGHT THEM BUT SHIT Y MAKE COCK FIGHT BAN U MESSED UP Y SHOULDNT WE BE ABLE TO FIGHT OUR ROOSTERS ITS NOT UR CHOOSE U AINT ARE MOMS AND SHIT WHEN I SAVE UP MONEY SHIT I KNOW I WANT TO GO FIGHT THEM DAMN ACTIN LIKE U OUR MOMS OR SOME SHIT!!!!!!!!!!"
This is a real letter. I couldn't make this up if I wanted to. I don't really know what this fellow said except that I am not his mother. I do know his letter is going to find a place in my book on animal "sports".
Another fellow wrote and told me that God allows us to treat animals anyway we like, as they don't have souls. I don't know what God that guy worships but any god that condones chicken fighting, rattlesnake roundups, bull fighting, dog fighting or any of these other so-called sports is no god I would want to hang around with. In fact, I would say such a god is certifiably insane. My God (or more likely, Goddess) loves all life equally and doesn't' have a favorite species.
Someday our state legislators will get off their dead asses and eliminate some of this nonsense in New Mexico that makes us look like an uncivilized third world country. But, I won't hold my breath waiting for it to happen.
