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The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Round‐Up: A Case Study in Environmental Ethics
Author(s) -
WEIR JACK
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
conservation biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.2
H-Index - 222
eISSN - 1523-1739
pISSN - 0888-8892
DOI - 10.1046/j.1523-1739.1992.610116.x
Subject(s) - limiting , population , restructuring , perspective (graphical) , environmental ethics , geography , political science , ecology , sociology , engineering , law , biology , demography , computer science , mechanical engineering , philosophy , artificial intelligence
This study is an ethical analysis and evaluation of an ecologically and environmentally intrusive social phenomenon, the Sweetwater (Texas) Jaycees Rattlesnake Round‐Up, an annual event that results in the killing of thousands of rattlesnakes ( Crotalus atrox ). The largest and most publicized of several such festivals in the United States, the Sweetwater Round‐Up has developed into a huge community extravaganza with lucrative benefits to the local economy. After overviews of the Round‐Up and of recent biological research, the main reasons justifying the practice are evaluated from both a local and environmental perspective. Because the annual take has remained high, the proponents claim that the Round‐Ups are not reducing the rattlesnake population but are in fact “helping the balance of nature.” Although probably false due to lost reproductive potential, this claim cannot be decisively refuted due to a lack of reliable scientific data. Therefore, recommendations are made for restructuring the rattlesnake hunt to obtain scientifically credible data. Paramount is that the time span and territory be limited, because otherwise conclusions based on annual take cannot be made. Recommendations are also presented for conducting additional research and for limiting the ecological impact of the festival while at the same time preserving its economic and social benefits.