On Feb. 29, Cody Roberts of Daniel, Wyoming intentionally ran over a young wolf with his snowmobile. He then taped its snout, to a bar where he displayed this injured wolf for photos and laughs, all the while ignoring its suffering, pain, and fear. He tortured this wolf for his own pleasure; for social media attention, for some sick, perverse hate-fueled self-serving purpose. He finally ended its misery behind the bar by shooting it. Unfortunately, this is not a one-off incident. His actions exemplify the failure by wildlife agencies, government and the community at large to address the utterly reprehensible act of chasing down predators; primarily wolves and coyotes, by snowmobiles. It also represents the degree to which predators are vilified and disregarded; not as predators with a purpose or as sentient wild animals that are part of a balance of our ecosystems.

Would New Hampshire Fish and Game Department tolerate this behavior and cruelty here? There is no protection for coyotes even under the Cruelty to Animals Act. New Hampshire allows trapping of predators and hounding and killing of coyotes year-round, even during denning time with pups. The New Hampshire Wildlife Coalition (NHWC) condemns running down wildlife with snowmobiles. We urge you to join us and condemn these actions. You can be a voice for the voiceless!

Olia Webb

https://www.concordmonitor.com/-55026071