Texas rattlesnake butchering festival continues despite objections

A Georgia rattler roundup no longer kills the animals but Texas town of Sweetwater is proud of its tradition

An annual rattlesnake roundup in south Georgia recently changed the format of this month's event to celebrate living snakes without skinning and butchering them, earning plaudits from animal rights activists.

But no such changes are occurring at a huge rattlesnake roundup beginning this weekend in Texas, a festival that the activists say is barbaric. The two events are a marked contrast in how rattlesnakes are handled.