The Jaycees are an organization built around young adults contributing to the betterment of their community. Apparently in Sweetwater, Tex., that means publicly endorsed animal abuse.
As part of their annual Rattlesnake Roundup — which kicks off today and runs throughout the weekend — the Sweetwater Jaycees have posted a bounty of $10 per pound of rattlesnake rustled up and hauled in. That's double the average bounty paid for the past decade.
Why the premium? Last year's haul was low (roughly 1,500 pounds, compared to the average of 4,000), and pervasive drought conditions have left the regional rattlesnake population in question, Sweetwater Jaycee David Sager said.
After the high demand on the snakes over the years, the local populations of rattlesnakes are being depleted. Each year bringing in less and less snakes. The snakes become a freak show act that often results in major animal abuse in the public eye.
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here. Each year I am left wondering: where are the animal rights activists for the rattlesnakes?
As mean-spirited and un-American as it sounds, when your local chapter of the Jaycees asks for a contribution, don't give it to them...and politely but firmly explain why they're not getting your help (and suggest they might want to address that with their Sweetwater chapter.)People may not like snakes, but they like money. If people argue this isn't fair to the chapters that do a lot of good to their community, I have one answer: it's not about fair, because what happens in Sweetwater certainly isn't fair to the snakes.