Cowboy State Daily on Friday evening received another video of what appears to be the wolf that was run over by a snowmobile and then tortured until it was killed Feb. 29 by Daniel, Wyoming, resident Cody Roberts.
The shocking video appears to show Roberts holding the injured wolf and then bringing its head up to his lips and then kissing it.
The wolf bears its teeth some, but appears too weak to react.
A woman in the background is heard laughing during the entirety of the clip.
The source who supplied the video to Cowboy State Daily, who prefers to remain anonymous, said the video was shot in the Green River Bar.
“It absolutely sickens me to forward this to you,” the source said. “But evil must be exposed. That’s the only reason to show it to the public.”
More Evidence
The new clip is the first public release of visual evidence of Roberts with the wolf in the Green River Bar.
An earlier photo obtained by Cowboy State Daily showing Roberts posing with the wolf — with its muzzle tightly taped shut — was reportedly taken at his home. In both the photo and video clip from the bar, Roberts appears to be wearing the same clothing.
As images and video continue to surface showing the tormented wolf shortly before its death seem to corroborate earlier reports and accounts of what happened to the wolf after being injured and incapacitated.
A pair of short video clips released Wednesday by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, showed the wolf with its mouth taped shut and languishing on the floor at Roberts’ house.
According to the incident report filed by the department, Roberts admitted to transporting the live wolf back to his house and later took it to a local business (Green River Bar) in Daniel.
Roberts has only been fined $250 for the incident for possessing a live wolf, but not with animal cruelty. Sublette County Sheriff K.C. Lehr announced Wednesday that his department — in cooperation with the Sublette County Attorney and Game and Fish — is actively investigating the incident, which could lead to more criminal charges.
International Outrage
The incident has brought an international spotlight to the tiny town of Daniel with media organizations across the world reporting on the incident.
It has also sparked a flood of complaints and threats.
Sheriff Lehr told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday that he's received more than 7,000 emails about the Wyoming man who reportedly captured and tormented a wolf before killing it.
Lehr said people in his office, as well as Sublette County and Wyoming Game and Fish Department personnel, have been receiving threats — including death threats.
Roberts and his family have also been receiving threats, as well as the Green River Bar, Lehr said. The threats have even impacted other men in Wyoming named Cody Roberts who have nothing to do with the case.
Those making threats have not launched physical attacks in Sublette County so far, said Lehr, adding that about 99% of the callers are from outside Wyoming. And the calls and emails come from all over the world.
Wyoming Gov Mark Gordon also has condemned the incident.
“Cruelty to any wildlife is absolutely unacceptable. This is not the way anyone should treat any animal,” Gordon said on Monday.
Sublette County Attorney Clayton Melinkovich has said it's not certain whether animal cruelty charges could be brought to bear in the case.
