A bill calling for possible felony penalties against people who deliberately prolong the suffering of predatory animals cleared the Wyoming Legislature on Wednesday.
House Bill 275 has been hailed as an appropriate response to the torture and killing of a wolf in Daniel, Wyoming, last year. Some criticized the bill for not going far enough – because it doesn’t include a ban on running predators over with snowmobiles or other vehicles.
HB 275 passed the Senate by a vote of 27-4. Because amendments had been made in the Senate, it had to go through concurrence with the House on Wednesday. It passed concurrence by a vote of 57-2, with 3 legislators absent.
That clears the path for the bill to head to Gov. Mark Gordon’s desk.
Pleased With The Results
The senate added an amendment removing the seizure of property to the possible penalties for deliberately torturing a predatory animal, instead of killing it outright.
Forfeiture of property involved in the crime, such as hunting equipment, was initially included.
Hunter and deer conservationist Josh Coursey, one of the main backers of HB 275, told Cowboy State Daily that he was the pleased with the bill’s passage.
The bill isn’t about changing “predator management,” but is instead a way to address “torture, mutilation and cruelty to animals,” he said.
It’s the appropriate response to the alleged torture and killing of the wolf in Daniel, Coursey said.
According to accounts of events on Feb. 29, 2024, Daniel resident Cody Roberts allegedly ran over a wolf with his snowmobile and then captured the injured animal.
He then allegedly duct-taped the animal’s mouth shut and took it to his home, then later showed it off in a local bar before finally taking it outside and killing it.
Coursey said that while efforts to also ban running animals over with vehicles were well-intended, they might have been interpreted too broadly and “weaponized in courts” to attack hunting and agriculture.
HB 275 was focused specifically on penalizing deliberate torture of animals, he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
