Submitted by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources

FITZGERALD — The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division, in partnership with local organizers and community leaders, announces the upcoming annual Fitzgerald Wild Chicken Festival. The celebration began as an annual Rattlesnake Roundup but was converted by progressive organizers in 2000 to a festival that honors the town’s unique resident wild Burmese chicken population.

Scheduled for March 14-15 in the heart of historic downtown Fitzgerald, the festival will attract thousands of participants who will enjoy a variety of good food, arts, crafts, and other activities and attractions amid beautiful blooming azaleas and newly hatched wild Burmese chickens.

“Fitzgerald and surrounding Ben Hill County are unique in that we enjoy a diversity of wildlife and also boast the state’s only known resident population of wild Burmese chickens,” festival organizer Barry Peavey said. “The festival committee is proud to say that the festival has experienced enormous success since the change in focus that highlights a positive and unique feature of our community, and the participants continue to come out and enjoy the many exciting events we have planned during this beautiful season in Fitzgerald.”

For 28 years the festival had been known as “The Rattlesnake Roundup” where people came to see many eastern diamondback rattlesnakes collected by snake hunters. However, due to declining diamondback populations and the highly destructive collecting technique of gassing gopher tortoise burrows, organizers decided the responsible course of action would be to change the focus of the event and rename it the Wild Chicken Festival.

In the 1960s, wild Burmese chickens were stocked all over the state as an additional game bird to be hunted like pheasant or quail. Populations of the birds dwindled and disappeared in other parts of the state, but somehow they prospered in Fitzgerald’s downtown area. According to John Jensen, a Wildlife Resources Division senior wildlife biologist, the change in festival focus was a positive step in spreading awareness of the ecologically important role that rattlesnakes play as natural predators in the landscape of Ben Hill County and surrounding areas.

“Rattlesnake roundups originated as local, community-level efforts to remove snakes that posed a legitimate danger to humans and pets because they took up residence a little too close for comfort - near houses, offices, playgrounds and schools, etc.,” Jensen said. “Today, actual nuisance rattlesnakes are only a small fraction of those collected, with the bulk coming from far away, even from ‘wild’ lands, where they pose virtually no danger to people but are actively searched for and removed.

“The ‘roundup’ aspect of these festivals today is so limited in participation and interest that it could easily be replaced with captive snakes without impacting the success of the events, and without contributing to further declines of this magnificent predator and the many other species that seek shelter in gopher tortoise burrows.”

Annual rattlesnake roundups continue in the south Georgia communities of Claxton and Whigham, although the Department of Natural Resources, other wildlife agencies, and many conservation organizations and concerned citizens are encouraging those organizers to covert to other wildlife and family friendly festivals, or at least to drop the “roundup” aspect of their rattlesnake themes and focus on constructive “infotainment.”

“It is obvious that Fitzgerald’s Wild Chicken Festival enjoys even more success than its rattlesnake roundup predecessor,” said Jensen.

“We are optimistic that those communities still holding rattlesnake roundups will be encouraged by Fitzgerald’s successful move, and they, too, will adopt more environmentally friendly themes.”

The 2008 Fitzgerald Wild Chicken Festival will feature something for everyone, including food vendors, arts and crafts attractions, rock wall and bungee jumps, pony rides, face painting, pancake breakfast, a hot-wing eating contest, a wild chicken crowing contest, the Chicken Sprint 5K, Cub Scout Pine Wood Derby, Lovem’ or Hatem’ Chicken Vote and Pet Adoptathon, and even festival clown entertainment for the children. Music entertainment will feature Danny Stone, Todd Lambers, Pop Shop, Okefenokee Joe and community Street Dance.

Admission to the festival is free (additional activity fees may apply). For more information, call (800) 386-4642 or visit the festival Web site at www.wildchickenfestival.com