- Isabel Hicks Chronicle Staff Writer
- Apr 26, 2024
- https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/environment/groups-call-to-ban-predator-killings-with-snowmobiles-after-wyoming-wolf-torture/article_993c8452-03e6-11ef-ae4a-f73fb8b27587.html
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A wolf from the Wapiti Lake pack is silhouetted by a nearby hot spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., on Jan. 24, 2018.
- Jacob W. Frank / National Park Service
TOP: A wolf is seen in the snow near Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone. ABOVE: A gray wolf is seen in this file photo.
- Jim Peaco / NPS
A wolf is seen in Yellowstone National Park.
- Jacob W. Frank/NPS
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More than 60 conservation groups sent letters to the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management this week, asking the agencies to immediately ban the use of snowmobiles to injure or kill wildlife on federal lands they manage.
The letters, sent April 23, come in the wake of a Wyoming man who made headlines for running over a female yearling wolf with his snowmobile, severely injuring the animal. The man duct-taped the wolf’s mouth shut and let his hunting dogs attack her, then paraded her around a local bar. He later brought the wolf home, torturing and ultimately killing it.
Since gray wolves lost Endangered Species Act protections in Wyoming in 2011, killing a wolf at any time without a tag has been largely legal in the state. Hunting with snowmobiles and attack dogs are practices that Wyoming and Idaho authorizes for wolves and other predators, which pose economic threats to livestock.
The 42-year-old man, Cody Roberts of Daniel, Wyoming, was convicted of a misdemeanor after media reports published photos, videos and witness statements of the wolf’s torture, generating national outrage. The penalty for Roberts was a $250 fine for “possession of a live wolf,” not the way it died.
“This obscene cruelty to wolves and other wildlife is legal under state law, so federal officials need to step in and stop it,” said Amaroq Weiss, a senior wolf advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, a signatory on the letters. “It’s disgusting that Wyoming and Idaho allow coyotes and wolves to be chased, bludgeoned and run over by snowmobiles.”
The letters were signed by scores of groups involved in Montana wildlife work, including Trap Free Montana, the Montana Wilderness Education School, Protect Our Wildlife, WildEarth Guardians, and the Western Watersheds Project.
“While we do not know where Roberts ran down the wolf, we do know that such abhorrent treatment of these ecologically important animals has no place on our federal lands. We are unaware of any federal law that would have prohibited his actions on (federal) lands. That is unacceptable,” the letter language said.
“The USFS (and BLM) must act because Wyoming and Idaho will not.”
The letter also noted a Wyoming state lawmaker proposed legislation in 2019 to ban the use of snowmobiles to injure predators, but the bill did not receive a hearing.
As of Friday, neither the Forest Service or BLM has responded publicly to the letters.
Public pressure pushed Wyoming officials to condemn Roberts’ actions, with Wyoming Game and Fish, the state wildlife commissioner and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon issuing statements saying the incident did not represent Wyoming values.
“The actions and behaviors of the individual involved in this case are not reflective of Wyoming’s values,” said Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik. “This incident casts a shadow over our state’s proven track record in successfully and responsibly managing our gray wolf population.”
In Wyoming, 85% of the state is a designated “predator zone,” where wolves and other wildlife designated as predators — coyotes, jackrabbits, porcupines, raccoons, red fox, skunks and stray cats — can be killed without limit, at any time of the year, by any means, with no license requirement.
Across the West, ranchers will often seek lethal removal of predators that are causing economic harm by killing livestock.
The Wyoming, Idaho and Montana laws have inspired yet another lawsuit from conservation groups over gray wolves.
In February, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service denied a proposal to re-list gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains under the Endangered Species Act. Two coalitions of conservation and animal rights groups sued over the decision in early April, arguing the government didn’t adequately consider how state laws are harming wolf populations.
Still other groups — including the Gallatin Wildlife Association and Footloose Montana — announced their intent to also sue the agency on Tuesday.
“States have proven they cannot be trusted to sustain the wolf species,” Jessica Karjala, executive director of Footloose Montana, said in a press release. “Wyoming is turning a blind eye to the heinous acts of Cody Roberts. The delisting of wolves has led to the failure of state wildlife agencies to protect wolves.”
Exposing the Big Game 
It really should be a no-brainer to make this illegal. How it all was allowed to get to this point is the questionable thing. It is the fault ultimately of the Federal government.