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Rattlesnake collection drives—their implications for species and environmental conservation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 July 2009

Clifford Warwick ,
Catrina Steedman  and
Tricia Holford
Clifford Warwick
Affiliation:
The Institute of Herpetology, College Gates, 2 Deansway, Worcester, WR1 2JD, UK.
Catrina Steedman
Affiliation:
The Trust for the Protection of Reptiles, College Gates, 2 Deansway, Worcester, WR1 2JD, UK.
Tricia Holford
Affiliation:
The Trust for the Protection of Reptiles, College Gates, 2 Deansway, Worcester, WR1 2JD, UK.
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Abstract

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Every year large numbers of rattlesnakes (Crotalus spp. and Sistrurus spp.) are collected from the wild in several states in North America. Some of these are collected purely for commercial reasons while others are collected for the traditional, although now largely commercial, ‘rattlesnake round-ups’. Together these activities may remove 300,000–500,000 snakes each year. The high level of hunting together with capture procedures that destroy habitat as well as snakes are damaging rattlesnake populations, other species, and habitat quality.

Type
Research Article
Information
Oryx , Volume 25 , Issue 1 , January 1991 , pp. 39 - 44
Copyright
Copyright © Fauna and Flora International 1991

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