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DAILY TEXAN (U of T, Austin, Texas) 05 February 08 Rattlers in the Rotunda - Sweetwater gets ready for its 50th annual Rattlesnake Roundup this March (Sarah Wilson)
Visitors' and workers' eyes were fixated on the rattling reptiles that slithered around the Capitol's rotunda Monday, but spectators kept their distance from the venomous creatures.
The Sweetwater Jaycees, a community group in Sweetwater, Texas, brought seven western diamondback rattlesnakes for three days of snake-handling demonstrations one month before their annual Rattlesnake Roundup. The 50th roundup will start in Sweetwater, which is about 200 miles west of Fort Worth, on March 6.
Jody Gray, vice president of the Jaycees, said the group is specially trained to handle and research the snakes and has been giving demonstrations at the Capitol for more than 30 years to educate Texas children.
Unlike other groups of snake handlers who put snakes in their mouths and intentionally provoke them, Jaycees do not engage in unsafe relationships with the reptiles.
"This is not a show, and we don't do anything unnatural with the snakes," he said. "This is a safety demonstration."
Riley Sawyers, president of the Sweetwater chapter of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, offered to wrap the snakes around children's necks and shoulders for photo opportunities, but only a few accepted.
Gray said a group of ranchers began the project in 1958 to manage the rattlesnake overpopulation that threatened their livestock. Fifty years later, locals still have to control rattlesnake presence in the area.
The Jaycees catch several thousand pounds of rattlesnakes every March, identify their genders, milk them, collect venom and give it to Texas universities for cancer and Alzheimer's disease research. All the biological data collected during the process is given to Texas Parks and Wildlife, Gray said.
The snakes are then slaughtered, and the skin, head, rattler and meat are sold worldwide, he said. The profits go to local schools and organizations like the Boy and Girl Scouts of America, the Special Olympics and the area children's advocacy center, according to the Rattlesnake Roundup Web site.
The Texas House recognized the Jaycees for their work within the Sweetwater community last year.
The roundup festival, parade, Miss Snake Charmer pageant and rattlesnake meat cook-off draws a crowd of about 45,000 people to Sweetwater, Gray said.
Sweetwater Jaycee snake safety expert David Sager gives 30- to 45-minute demonstrations throughout the year and during the roundup, and said the first thing he tells people is to stop and stand still if they encounter a rattlesnake.
Gray said human fear of snakes is natural, but people should learn to manage that fear to get out of the situation safely. Sager said people will be safe as long as they do not make any sudden movements, and a snake will not strike unless it is threatened or about to kill its prey.
Although the roundup occasionally draws controversy, Gray said data collected over the years shows Sweetwater rattlesnakes are the some of the healthiest in the region because of the yearly roundup and slaughter.
Rattlers in the Rotunda

SWEETWATER REPORTER (Texas) 29 January 08 Jaycee rattlesnake demonstration is planned at Capitol
State Rep. Susan King’s office announced Monday that she will be honored to have the Sweetwater Jaycees at the state Capitol building in Austin on Feb. 4, 5, and 6 to demonstrate the techniques used by the members to handle rattlesnakes.
The demonstration will be held in the outdoor rotunda in the Capitol Extension.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the “World’s Largest Rattlesnake Round-Up.”
Last year, the Jaycees were a huge hit at the Capitol during the 80th legislative session as state legislators, staff, and visitors came out to learn more about the Jaycees and the World’s Lar-gest Rattlesnake Round-Up.
King introduced the members of the group and their snakes on the House floor when House Resolution 203 was read to honor the Jaycees and their work.
Since 1958, the World’s Largest Rattlesnake Round-Up has been held in Sweetwater and sponsored by the Sweetwater Jaycees. The Round-Up is held annually on the second weekend in March at the Nolan County Coliseum.
The project was originally conceived by a group of area farmers and ranchers as an attempt to rid the abundance of Rattlers that were plaguing them and their livestock. The event has grown over the past 50 years to become the World’s Largest Rattlesnake Round-Up.
The Sweetwater Jaycees, in cooperation with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, have collected valuable biological data and other pertinent information about the Western Diamond-back Rattlesnake. This information was gathered by a random sampling of rattlesnakes brought to the annual Sweetwater Rattlesnake Round-up held the second weekend of March.
The snake handlers are Jaycees trained in the proper technique of weighing, measuring and sexing the snakes. This is dangerous, tedious and labor intensive work so the Jaycees are to be commended for their efforts.
They are also to be commended for their genuine concern about the future of the Western Diamondback Rattle-snake.
The Jaycees have cooperated fully with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Texas A&M University to determine whether commercial roundups have any adverse impact on the future of rattlesnake populations.
Their interest in the future of this natural resource is also reflected by changing the thrust of the event to an educational experience.
Since 1974, proceeds from this event have benefited the Sunshine Inn for the mentally handicapped, The Boy and Girl Scouts, youth programs and activities, Special Olympics, Tri-County Children’s Advo-cacy Center, The American Red Cross, MHMR client Christmas party, Labor Day Rest Stop, trash pick-up, Thanksgiving Day feast for the homeless, scholarships, rodeos and livestock shows and many more.
In addition, the local non-profit club makes donations to other organizations throughout the year.
Jaycee rattlesnake demonstration is planned at Capitol