'Snapperfest' celebrates animal abuse
By Cindy Steinle · August 31, 2011 5:03 pm
There aren't too many things that unite the herp and animal rights communities, so maybe we ought to give "Snapperfest" in Ohio County, Indiana, some kind of award. On second thought, an "award" isn't what I'd like to give them.
The event has been going on for 15 years, so the organizers were surprised to be met with so much opposition this year. The contest involves fishing a turtle out of a tank filled with murky water. Contestants use only their hands to try to pull the animal's head out of its shell. The goal is to get a hand around the turtle's neck without getting bit. [....] Snapperfest has the blessing of local law enforcement as well as conservation officers. Tom Chalk's been around since the whole thing started. "There ain't no abuse to the turtles whatsoever...there's never been one slammed or killed or had its head ripped off." What's amazed everyone at the campground is all the attention the event has suddenly received. "We've had calls from Germany, Canada...Florida...every state in the United States has called. The phone it just rings off the handle. Some people get real nasty, cuss us out. We just hang up. We just try to explain what's going on, it's not abuse."Two very different videos are being circulated. One is the news report featuring the above comments, which can be found here. The other, a video from an attendee last year, can be seen after the bump. Watching both, really, is there any wonder why animal lovers are outraged?
