A Wyoming man is apologizing for tossing, kicking and stabbing a coyote in a controversial video that went viral last week.
Aron Snyder posted a video statement on social media over the weekend in which he says the coyote video was taken in Texas in 2019 or 2020.
He said that he finished off the wounded coyote with a knife because he didn’t have a firearm with him at the time. He also admits that the video is "a very bad optic."
Snyder also confirmed that because of the video, his employment has been terminated, and that he accepts that decision.
A private investigator sent the video to Cowboy State Daily last week, saying that Snyder is from Riverton. The video and accompanying information were also sent to wildlife agencies and animal welfare groups in Wyoming and several other states.
There was no response to messages to cellphone numbers registered to Snyder.
Cowboy State Daily reached out to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), asking if the department is investigating the incident depicted in the coyote-killing video, and if any reaction might result.
TPWD law enforcement spokeswoman Maggie Berger promptly responded with an email saying she would check into it, but was swamped early Monday.
“We are currently responding to service calls due to flooding and severe weather in multiple areas of the state as well as much time being dedicated to the new world screwworm response,” she stated.
There is concern in Texas that an emerging screwworm infestation in cattle will spread to wildlife. There’s also worry that it could eventually hit big game herds in other states, including Wyoming.
Snyder’s Account Of Events
Response to the coyote video has been overwhelmingly negative. Some hunters and animal welfare advocates have condemned the depicted actions as unethical and cruel.
However, some social media commenters have supported Snyder, saying the video shows him doing what he had to do to kill the coyote with the means he had at hand at the time.
In the video, Snyder is seen stabbing the coyote once in the shoulder area. Supporters have commented that indicates he was trying to puncture the coyote’s lungs and/or heart, which would have resulted in a quick death.
In his statement, Snyder said the video was taken during a coyote hunt “after an ice storm” in Texas.
“The coyotes were wreaking havoc on my buddy’s cattle, horses (and) dogs, as they do,” he said.
He said he drove an ATV to the location where the coyote in question was, but had left his gun behind in a pickup.
“When I got to it (the coyote), um, it wasn’t dead, it was still alive,” he said. "Pulled it out of a brush pile, um, kicked its legs out from under it, stabbed it, you know, it was growling at me, I kicked it again."
He also said he performed a “dead check” on the animal. That’s a term hunters use for checking to make sure an animal is dead.
Snyder said he recalled that he might have stabbed the coyote once more, although the video clip shows him stabbing it only once.
‘Bad Optic’
Regarding the video, Snyder admits that “it’s a very bad optic, I understand that, for the hunting community. That wasn’t my intention but even when I watched it, it looked bad."
He said that if one watches predators “tear apart” wildlife, dogs and livestock “you do lose value and respect for them (predators)."
“That’s not an excuse that’s just a fact of life, and my actions that day showed that,” Snyder said.
Snyder also said the fallout from the video could be a “blessing in disguise” because it gives him a reason to get off social media and simply enjoy being outdoors.
‘He Has An Opportunity’
Paul Ulrich, president of the Wyoming Sportsmanship group, previously condemned what he saw in the video.
After seeing Snyder’s video on Monday, Ulrich told Cowboy State Daily that “it’s encouraging to see somebody admit they made a mistake.”
“He certainly notes that it’s ‘bad optics,’ and it is. But at its heart (what’s in the coyote video) is just bad behavior. It’s cruel and the antithesis of a clean kill,” Ulich said.
Wyoming Sportsmanship was instrumental in getting the so-called “Clean Kill Bill” passed by the state Legislature and signed into law.
It makes it illegal to deliberately prolong the suffering of predatory animals, such as coyotes, in Wyoming.
Ulrich noted that according to Snyder’s account of events, Snyder apparently wasn’t properly prepared “to make a clean kill,” because he left his firearm behind in a pickup.
Hunters should keep their rifles or shotguns, or a sidearm, at all times to quickly end wounded animals’ suffering, Ulrich said.
Although Snyder apparently killed the coyote in the video in Texas, Ulrich said that the incident can carry a universal message for hunters.
Ulrich said he appreciates Snyder acknowledging losing a value and respect for predators.
“Hopefully he finds that value and respect for all wildlife again someday,” Ulrich said.
“I hope this gives us all the opportunity to take a deep breath and realize our responsibility to respect all wildlife, including predators,” he added.
Snyder could also use his prominent position in the outdoor world to spread the message, Ulrich said.
“He has an opportunity, and I hope in some small way he takes advantage of an opportunity to do the right thing,” he said. “And perhaps the message for today is that we pass those values of respect for all wildlife on to the next generation."
‘He Could Escape Prosecution’
Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy announced Monday that it was offering a $3,000 reward for information leading to a conviction for a felony cruelty to animals charge in connection with the events shown in the coyote-killing video.
After being sent a link to Snyder’s apology by Cowboy State Daily on Monday, the group’s president, Wayne Pacelle, said the reward offer still stands.
Although the alleged location and time frame of the Coyote killing were revealed by Snyder, Pacelle said new information might expand upon Snyder’s account or contradict elements of it.
“I’m not accusing him of that (falsifying details of the coyote incident). I just don’t want to make assumptions that these claims are true," Pacelle said.
If the coyote was killed in Texas as far back as 2019, that state’s statute of limitations for cruelty to animals charges might have run out, he said.
In that case, “he (Snyder) could escape prosecution for his malicious cruelty,” Pacelle said.
He added that he found Snyder’s apology lacking.
“He didn’t apologize so much as he excused it,” Pacelle said, and added that in the original video, Snyder appears to be unnecessarily cruel to the coyote “with relish.”
Pacelle also criticized Snyder’s apparent actions leading up to the coyote being wounded in the first place.
“There’s an ethic in hunting of knowing where you’re shooting and knowing how to deliver a killing shot,” he said.
Fired From Born Primitive
After the video emerged, the Born Primitive Outdoor clothing and gear company announced that it had fired Snyder.
“Born Primitive Outdoor supports ethical hunting and holds itself and its partners to that standard,” the company says in the announcement. "The behavior shown in the video involving Aron Snyder does not align with that standard.
"As a result, Aron Snyder is no longer an employee of Born Primitive,”
A message requesting further comment from Born Primitive was not answered by publication time.
In his video statement, Snyder confirmed his termination from the company saying, “my actions are mine. Born Primitive should not be held responsible. I respect their decision.”
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include reacton to Snyder's apology video.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
