The Wyoming Game and Fish Department confirmed to Cowboy State Daily that it's investigating a graphic video of a man, allegedly a Wyoming resident, grabbing a seemingly wounded coyote by its tail, tossing the animal, then chasing it down to kick, stab and taunt it.
The video also was sent to Cowboy State Daily by a private investigator, Reece Soukoroff, who said he was the person who also sent it to Game and Fish.
Game and Fish Spokeswoman Amanda Fry said Friday that the department had received Soukoroff’s correspondence and is investigating the matter.
Because the video and what it shows is under investigation, Game and Fish could not offer any further information or comment, she said.
Soukoroff’s correspondence names the man allegedly in the video and identifies him as a Wyoming resident. Because no citations or charges have yet been filed in the matter, Cowboy State Daily will not identify him.
What The Video Depicts
The video takes place in what appears to be a winter landscape and begins with the man reaching under some sagebrush and grabbing the coyote by its tail while someone else takes video.
There’s blood on the ground near the sagebrush, indicating it had possibly already been injured. He pulls the coyote out from under the bush by the tail and flings it several yards.
The coyote, which appears to have blood on it, tries to run but its mobility appears to be compromised.
The man pursues the coyote, catches up to it and kicks it in the head. The coyote then apparently barks and falls over on its side.
The man produces a knife, circles the prone animal, and stabs the coyote once in the front shoulder area.
Then he kicks the animal again and taps it on the head with the knife’s blade while the coyote raises its head with its mouth open looking at the man.
Sourkoroff said he was hired by a client, who will remain anonymous, to look into the incident.
He sent correspondence to Cowboy State Daily as well as wildlife agencies, animal welfare groups and other organizations in several states and in British Columbia, Canada.
In a text message exchange with Cowboy State Daily early Friday, he said his client hasn’t yet been able to identify exactly when and where the video was taken.
‘Worse Than Cody Roberts’
Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, told Cowboy State Daily that his organization had received Sourkoroff’s correspondence.
After viewing the video, he called it “revolting and sickening.”
"In a certain way, it’s worse than Cody Roberts,” he said, referencing the Daniel, Wyoming, resident who attracted global attention after capturing, tormenting and killing a wolf in 2024.
Animal Wellness Action was among groups that raised money for a reward that helped bring a felony animal cruelty charge against Roberts.
There was never video released of Roberts allegedly running the wolf down with a snowmobile, he said.
“Here (in the coyote video) you see the sadistic behavior of this man. This is the very essence of cruelty to animals,” Pacelle said.
Regarding whether Animal Wellness Action will take similar steps in the coyote case, and put up reward money, Pacelle said he “wants to know more before making an assessment.”
That could include determining whether the alleged offense too place on federal land, in which case federal animal cruelty charges might apply, he said.
‘This Is Not Us’
Paul Ulrich, president of the Wyoming Sportsmanship group, told Cowboy State Daily that he was “thoroughly and utterly disgusted” by the video.
“Nothing in this video shows sportsmanship or any degree of predator control” Ulrich said, adding that it instead is rank animal cruelty.
Wyoming Sportsmanship was founded in response the Roberts incident.
The group was pivotal in getting the so-called “clean kill bill” passed by the Wyoming Legislature. That bill made it a crime to deliberately prolong the suffering of a predatory animal, rather than kill it as quickly as possible.
The investigation into what the video depicts could result in that law being applied, Ulrich said.
"Our expectation is that a county attorney will take a close look at this, take a close look at the hard work we put into the Clean Kill Bill and press charges,” he said. "Throw the book at this individual."
Wyoming Sportsmanship also lobbied for prosecution in the case of the alleged torture of a cow moose in Unita County in 2024.
Like the cases involving the moose and the wolf in Daniel, what’s seen in the coyote video doesn’t reflect Wyoming hunters’ and conservationists’ values, and should be broadly condemned, Ulrich said.
“I’m grateful for every Wyoming resident that sees this as abhorrent and disgusting behavior. And makes it clear that Wyoming isn’t going to tolerate that,” Ulrich said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
