The Timber Rattlesnake was wiped out from Canada because of deliberate persecution. A rattlesnake's rattle is to alert you to keep your distance. If it wanted to attack, it would not signal it's intent first. The rattlesnake's venom is for immobilizing its prey, which is generally small mammals. Rattlesnakes don't eat people and they only attack people when threatened.
More people die from bee stings every year than from snake bites.
Despite this many people kill rattlesnakes on sight. Unfortunately a number of other snakes will imitate a rattlesnake by vibrating their tails in dry leaves. Such action may deter some would-be predators, but it causes many harmless snakes to be killed. In a world where one group of people cannot get along with another group because of cultural, religious or political differences, it is probably too much to expect that one species that considers itself intelligent can show tolerance for other species. But we can always hope.