Opp Rattlesnake Rodeo: Tradition Meets Conservation

It's March 24th.

This is Birmingham News Today, AI-powered stories from your city.

This weekend, the small town of Ape Alabama hosted 65th annual rattlesnake rodeo from

March 27th to 29th.

Expect 15,000 to 20,000 visitors to flood the 6,700 resident community at Chenele Stadium.

The event centers on dozens of live rattlesnakes for races, displays, and fried meat that

some compare to chicken.

Here this week, a car race kick things off at South Alabama Speedway, setting the stage

for crass vendors, music, and a beauty pageant.

Country star Trace Atkins headlines the entertainment, drawing even bigger crowds than usual, based

on early ticket sales.

Snake Handlers sponsor and race the reptiles in heats, then offer safety lessons for attendees.

The rodeo started decades ago as a fundraiser by local civic groups, and grew into a major

tradition, peaking at 30,000 attendees back in.

1985 It boosts local businesses and showcases the town, with past performers like Blake

Shelton adding star power.

City officials now run it after the original group disbanded.

Conservationists criticized the capture of Wild Western Diamondback rattlesnakes, one

of just 13 traditional rodeos left nationwide, and the only, one east of the Mississippi River.

Organizers by 50 to 80 snakes from Texas vendors.

Cost them humanely, educate on wildlife safety, and release them after, though not always.

Nearby.

Past practices like killing snakes or gassing burrows have ended, with state permits still

issued yearly.

While backlash persists online, new mayor Chance McCurley, in office less than a year,

welcomes ideas to emphasize education over spectacle, and, improve animal care.

Handlers insist populations remain healthy, but traditions run deep across generations,

preventing at possible shifts ahead, to keep the event thriving.