WHIGHAM — Never fear. The Eastern diamondback rattlesnake isn’t going anywhere.

So said a couple of longtime Whigham Rattlesnake Roundup participants Saturday at the 56th annual event.

Terry Lancos, a Whigham resident who extracts rattlesnake venom, is extremely familiar with the serpents. He’s been bitten many times by rattlers, but hospitalized only three times. The worst bite was inflicted by a timber rattler.

Lancos pointed out a place near one of his thumbs where a moccasin bit him.

The venom Lancos extracts is processed, freeze-dried and sold to pharmaceutical companies, private laboratories and universities. “A lot of it is research,” he explained, in reference to how the venom is used.

A substance in copperhead venom prevents the spread of breast cancer and in other medical use acts as a blood thinner, said Lancos.

Lancos, who has hunted rattlesnake for 35 years, said a vial of antivenin costs $10,000.

Lancos received two calls Friday from individuals critical of the Roundup and the capture of rattlesnakes.

“They’re basically saying the hunters are the ones wiping the snakes out. It’s the timber companies,” he said.

Heavy equipment used by timber companies runs over gopher tortoise holes where rattlers hibernate during cold months, Lancos explained, adding that timber company vehicles destroy habitats not only of rattlers and gopher tortoises, but other wildlife.

“Everything’s machinery now in timber,” interjected Barry Strickland, longtime Roundup volunteer and member of the Whigham Community Club, Roundup sponsor.

The club, he said, has not received negative feedback lately about the Roundup.

Randy Campbell, a Tennessee resident, has attended the Roundup for close to 30 years. Sitting on a platform in the snake ring, he displayed a rattlesnake skin he processed.

“Smells like leather,” he said, rubbing the palm of his hand along the serpent hide.

“The rattlesnake population is by no means endangered,” Campbell explained.

He collects rattlesnakes killed in incidental encounters, such as in someone’s yard or other places where a poisonous snake poses a threat. Campbell turns the skins into leather and sells them to boot companies.

He has been buying the same volume of snakes year after year in Georgia, Florida and Alabama. “I have the data to prove it,” Campbell added.

Timothy Hunter and Walter Walker, Tallahassee, Florida, residents, were spectators at the snake ring.

“I know to leave them alone. Yes, siree. Don’t tread on me. I won’t tread on you,” Walker said, in reference to the serpents.

Hunter considers the Roundup an educational event.

The Roundup crowd swelled as the morning wore on. By noon, Roundup grounds were alive with people. The tantalizing aroma of food being prepared by vendors filled the air.

Fare ranged from ‘gator, shrimp and lobster, to corndogs, funnel cakes and hamburgers, among many other choices. Fried rattlesnake, which is usually available, was not on the menu Saturday.

Becky Tucker, of Anniston, Alabama, presented snake shows in the Roundup pavilion. People stood several deep to watch the demonstrations.

One of Tucker’s rattlers, a female, weighs 12 pounds — twice the poundage of others she shows.

She feeds her serpents rats, mice and chickens every week to 10 days.

The only interruption in the bright-blue sky Saturday morning were swirling vapors trailing from jets. The temperature, which dipped into the 40s overnight, was in the high 60s at noon.

Surveying the huge Roundup grounds parking lot off U.S. 84, Scott Newberry said the Saturday crowd could reach 20,000.

Newberry, a Whigham resident and fire chief and Thomasville police detective, is assistant Scout master for Whigham Boy Scout Troop 383, which coordinates Roundup parking.

As Newberry pointed out, a steady stream of vehicles left the parking as an equally steady stream arrived.

Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1820.