First, the roundup certainly takes a fair bit of skill and derring-do. The person who bags 10 diamondbacks the quickest is the winner. Rick Luddeke, a member of the Waco-based Heart of Texas Rattlesnake Handlers, takes a cynical view of why some fans show up. Such rattlesnake festivals were common in Texas at the turn of the century, when the serpents were seen as a threat to cattle and horses. Modern times have witnessed a roundup revival in a half-dozen Texas towns as a tourist draw.
Critics charge that the roundups amount to little more than inhumane treatment of the snakes.
For his part, Travis Laduc, a researcher studying rattlesnake physiology at the University of Texas at Austin, says it's not known whether the roundups significantly impact the diamondback population here. None of that seemed to be a concern at the recent Taylor sacking championship. First-time sacker Lance Sorenson had to be taken away in an ambulance after receiving a bite while posting an impressive time of 75.48 seconds. It never stops. All rights reserved.