Rattlesnake roundups are undeniably cruel events . Each year, thousands of rattlesnakes are captured, abused, and killed for entertainment. Roundups began as snake control for farmers, but have evolved into tasteless public spectacles. Help us shut them down.
Collectors from Texas to Pennsylvania pull rattlesnakes from their dens using poles tipped with fishhooks or spray gasoline or other toxins into the dens, poisoning local endangered and threatened wildlife.
Carted to roundups without food or water in dirty, cramped conditions, snakes arrive starved, dehydrated, or crushed. The survivors are used in exhibitions and daredevil acts, and some are decapitated and served up as exotic meat.
People at these spectacles risk snake bites and consuming Salmonella along with their rattlesnake meat.
Rattlesnake roundups are bad for snakes, the environment, and people. Find out if there is one near you.
Are There Rattlesnake Roundups in Your State?
You might be surprised. Download our chart to see. (PDF)
Learn MoreOur Victories
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December 29, 2009
2009: A Banner Year for Animals
The HSUS reflects on some major achievements for animal protection in 2009. Countless animals have been rescued from harm, spared from suffering and guaranteed basic standards of humane treatment.
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November 13, 2009
La Jolla Seals Decision
The HSUS heralds the ruling by Judge Timothy Taylor of the Superior Court of California in San Diego to allow harbor seals to continue living at Casa Beach in La Jolla. In his ruling, Judge Taylor vacated two previous judicial orders that would have required the City of San Diego to disperse the seals and to dredge the beach to ensure the seals did not return.
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June 29, 2009
Settlement Restores Endangered Species Act Protections To Great Lakes Wolves
A coalition of wolf advocates led by The HSUS has reached a settlement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restore federal Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in the Great Lakes region.
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June 18, 2009
The HSUS Applauds Fla. Turtle Trade Ban
The Humane Society of the United States commends the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for unanimously passing a rule banning the commercial trapping and sale of freshwater turtles in Florida.