While it might remain legal to chase down predators with snowmobiles in Wyoming, those who do so must kill the animals right away or face animal cruelty charges.
That’s according to a draft bill the Treatment of Predators Working Group voted to forward to a Wyoming legislative committee Wednesday.
The working group was formed to consider possible legislative reform to Wyoming’s predator policies in the wake of the reported torture and killing of a wolf in Daniel in February. That incident sparked worldwide outrage.
Upset They Didn’t Get To Talk
Meanwhile, some people who showed up in person at the Wyoming Capitol in Cheyenne to speak before the working group Wednesday afternoon were upset that they never got a chance to talk.
The working group met via Zoom, which was displayed on a large screen in the meeting room. During the public comment period, several people also on Zoom were allowed to comment. But the comment period was closed before anyone in the room in person could add their comment.
“Why did I take a shower and get dressed and come down here? I could have just stayed in my pajamas,” Linda Burt of Cheyenne remarked after the meeting ended.
She told Cowboy State Daily that she was there representing the Human Society of the United States.
Retired University of Wyoming pathologist Donal O’Toole told Cowboy State Daily that he was among 10 people who had traveled from Laramie to speak at the meeting.
He and others feel that the process of drafting legislation in the wake of the Daniel wolf incident has been “directed and exclusionary.”
Aftermath Of Daniel Wolf Incident
The working group is an offshoot of the Legislature’s Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee and will recommend the bill to the committee. The committee must then decide whether to forward it to the full Legislature for consideration during the 2025 session.
The proposed bill would call for an animal cruelty charge to be brought against anybody who runs down and injures a predator, but doesn’t make a reasonable effort to kill the animal immediately.
The firestorm of outrage over the Daniel wolf incident was sparked by accounts of the wolf suffering for hours before it was finally killed.
According to accounts of events on Feb. 28, Daniel resident Cody Roberts ran down a wolf with his snowmobile, injuring and capturing the animal.
He then took the wolf to his home, at some point taping its muzzle shut with red duct tape. Later, he took it to show off at the Green River Bar in Daniel before finally killing the wolf outside behind the bar.
Big Piney District Senior Game and Fish Warden Adam Hymas ticketed Roberts for illegal possession of a live, warm-blooded animal, for which Roberts forfeited a $250 bond, according to reports.
Had he faced an animal cruelty charge, as called for in the proposed bill, the penalty would have been up to a $1,000 fine and/or six months in jail.
‘Whacking’ With Snowmobiles Must Be Banned, Some Say
But upping the ante to animal cruelty charges isn’t enough, according to several people who testified over Zoom during the working group’s meeting.
Allowing the use of snowmobiles or other vehicles to chase down predators should be banned outright, they said.
“’Whacking’ is not fair chase and it’s not actual hunting,” Pinedale native Kelly Ravner said.
“Whacking” is a common term for running down coyotes, wolves or other predators.
The Legislature needs to go far beyond just making an adjustment to animal cruelty statutes, and must do more to protect wolves, she added.
“I’ve listened to people tell themselves ridiculous fairy tales about wolves killing everything,” she added. “Wolves have been the target of particular vitriol in Wyoming, so they need to be protected by specific language.”
Echoing the sentiments of most of those who commented, Shane Moore of Jackson said that whacking doesn’t have anything to do with ethical hunting or ranchers legitimately protecting their livestock from predators.
“It’s being done by people who are out joyriding, it’s legalized sport torture,” he said.
Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation Brett Moline commented against placing too many restrictions on the methods of predator control.
“My members don’t expect to have zero losses,” he said. “It’s not that we want to eliminate predators, we want to keep the losses down to an economical level.”
Take ‘Humane’ Out Of It
The working group decided to strike the word “humane” from the draft bill in relation to the general treatment and hunting of predators, as some members thought that term is too broad.
It was also suggested that the bill’s wording be changed to eliminate references to vehicles, thus making the deliberate prolonged suffering of a predator animal cruelty under any circumstances.
There should also be wording giving game wardens the authority to bring animal cruelty charges under the specific circumstances described in the bill, said working group member and Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik.
In general, animal cruelty charges don’t apply to wildlife and can be filed only by law enforcement officers such as sheriff’s deputies or municipal police officers.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
