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Rattlesnake Roundup underway in Texas

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SWEETWATER, Texas, March 11 (UPI) -- The World's Largest Rattlesnake Roundup is under way in Sweetwater, Texas.

The annual event now extends over four days with everything from the crowning of Miss Snakecharmer to awards for cooking chili, chicken and, of course, rattlesnake. Thousands of visitors come to the area for the roundup, which ends Sunday.

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Hunters in the past 48 years have brought in a total of 132 tons of rattlesnakes for the roundup, the Sweetwater (Texas) Reporter said. The record was set in 1982 with 17,986 pounds.

The snakes are featured in demonstrations of handling live ones. Others end up cooked and served to visitors. They are also milked for venom to be used to make treatments for rattlesnake bite.

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