Time for rattlesnake roundup in Whigham

WHIGHAM - The annual rattlesnake roundup in south Georgia&#39;s Whigham is set for Saturday. <br> <br> The Whigham Community Club has sponsored a roundup for 42 years and apparently has no plans to discontinue the roundup. <br> <br> But the event has some wildlife officials concerned. <br> <br> Wildlife conservationist Gene Beck says Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes are disappearing from the Georgia soil. <br> <br> A state wildlife biologist -- John Jensen -- said last year that the number of the venomous rattlers has already declined significantly in Louisiana and North Carolina -- the outer limits of their range. He said the snake could become a threatened species in Georgia in about 15 years. <br> <br> The community club in Whigham contends there are still plenty of rattlers in that part of the state. <br> <br> Until recently, Georgia had annual rattlesnake roundups in Fitzgerald, Claxton and Whigham. Fitzgerald gave up snakes and hosted its first wild fowl festival in 2001. <br> <br> Jensen says sponsors of the Claxton roundup have agreed to gradually switch from wild snakes to captive snakes over the next five years. The wild snakes are milked for their venom and then killed for their skins, but the captive snakes would be used year after year. <br> <br> In return, the Department of Natural Resources will provide financial assistance, promotional support and wildlife specialists to enhance the Claxton show.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2003/1/184897