Rattlesnakes and Man
Rattlesnakes and humans have a troublesome relationship, to say the least. There's an ongoing struggle between those who see any dangerous and/or venomous animal as a threat (and therefore better off dead), and those who see every species as a vital part of the ecosystem, and therefore worth preserving.
Also worthy of note is how powerful the rattlesnake is in our collective psyche. We fear them and avoid them, but we also are fascinated. We name things after them (Diamondback (TM) bicycles, Sidewinder missles, the Microsoft Sidewinder Joystick (TM) come to mind.) We name songs after them (e.g. Fleetwood Mac's Rattlesnake Shake). We have them permanently tattooed on our bodies (mine is a life-sized C. cerastes draped over my right shoulder.)
The following are some links to evidence of our social and ecological relationship with rattlesnakes: