Via E-mail and U.S. Mail March 21, 2013 Mayor John E. Bartholomew City of Opp P.O. Box 610 Opp, AL 36467 [email protected] Re: Hosting a Wildlife-friendly Festival Instead of the Rattlesnake Rodeo Dear Sir: I am writing on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity to urge the City of Opp, the sponsor of the annual rattlesnake rodeo in Opp, Alabama, to stop incentivizing the capture and killing of rare rattlesnakes at your annual event. I have enclosed a petition with signatures from over 55,000 concerned citizens, who call upon you to change your event to a wildlife festival where no snakes are killed. Last year, the Evans County Wildlife Club in Clayton, Georgia replaced its rattlesnake roundup with a wildlife festival that does not involve the killing of snakes. Rattlesnakes are still a focus of the festival, but their display is now for educational, safety, and conservation purposes only. The wildlife festival has been a huge success and generated revenue for the local community without harming snakes. We encourage you to follow the example set by the Evans County Wildlife Club. Please know that rattlesnake roundups are depleting populations of eastern diamondback rattlesnakes: Analysis of data from four roundups in the southeastern United States shows a steady decline in the weights of prize-winning eastern diamondbacks and the number collected. This once-common species is being pushed toward extinction not only by hunting pressure but also by habitat loss and road mortality. Scientific studies over the past decade have documented range-wide population declines and significant range contractions, which is why we filed a 2011 petition to protect the eastern diamondback rattlesnake under the Endangered Species Act. In response, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that this snake may deserve a place on the nation’s list of endangered and threatened species and has launched a full status review of the eastern diamondback rattlesnake. We hope that this year’s rattlesnake rodeo in Opp will be the last ever that kills snakes. Sincerely, Collette L. Adkins Giese Amphibian and Reptile Staff Attorney Center for Biological Diversity Change Rattlesnake Roundups to Humane Festivals March 21, 2013 We, the undersigned, are writing to urge you to change the rattlesnake roundup held in your community to a humane festival where snakes are not hunted or killed. Towns such as San Antonio, Florida and Fitzgerald, Georgia have already changed their roundups to successful wildlife festivals that generate income for their communities. We urge you to follow their example and change your roundup to an event where snakes are not collected or slaughtered. 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