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!
Nicolas Patnode, 19, of Kalkaska poses with an illegal 9-point deer he killed in 2022. Patnode and Zander Garrett face a combined 14-charges after torturing a porcupine and illegally hunting throughout the county during October-November 2022. Both Kalkaska men are due back in court on May 20. (DNR)
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KALKASKA COUNTY, Mich. (WPBN/WGTU) — Two men are accused of multiple wildlife violations including torturing animals across Kalkaska County.
Nicholas Patnode, 19, and Zander Garrett, 20, were arraigned Monday in Kalkaska County District Court.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers began their investigation in 2022 after receiving a tip through the DNR Report All Poaching hotline.
Investigators said Patnode and Garrett illegally killed at least six deer, including a 9-point buck shot from the window of a truck. They are also accused of inhumanely killing a porcupine.
“When there’s this many violations, including torturing animals, education only goes so far. These crimes need to be addressed,” said Jason Haines, chief of the DNR’s Law Enforcement Division. “Prosecution of these acts will hopefully deter not only these individuals but others from committing similar crimes in the future.”
“Our officers conducted a very thorough investigation to piece together many pieces of evidence from throughout the county,” Haines added.
Patnode’s 11 charges, include:
Two counts of killing, torturing animals, a third-degree felony punishable by up to four years in jail and/or $5,000 in fines.
Six counts of wildlife conservation violation – general violations. Each is a misdemeanor punishable of up to 90 days in jail per count and/or $500 each.
One count of hunting and fishing license violation – using another’s license, a misdemeanor that carries a punishment of up to 90 days in jail and/or up to $250 in fines.
One count of wildlife conservation violation – taking game from a vehicle; a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and/or up to $500 in fines.
One count of wildlife conservation violation – possessing a bow or crossbow in a vehicle operated on public land or roads. The offense is a misdemeanor carrying a sentence of up to 90 days in jail and/or up to $500 in fines.
Garrett’s charges include:
One count of killing, torturing animals.
One count of wildlife conservation violation – taking game from a vehicle.
One count of wildlife conservation violation – possessing bow or crossbow in a vehicle operated on public land or roads.
Garrett and Patnode were arrested April 12 on felony charges; their bond was paid, and they were released the next day. They are due back in court on May 20.
A third man, who the DNR is not naming because of his age at the time the crime was committed, processed a plea agreement through the county’s juvenile court.
Anyone who witnesses a natural resource violation should call or text the Report All Poaching Hotline at 800-292-7800.
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Information can be left anonymously. Monetary rewards may be offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of violators.
Researchers have found a new genus of deer in fossils found at Badlands National Park in South Dakota, the National Park Service announced Thursday.
The deer presented by the researchers is markedly different from the animal most know today, as reconstructions suggest that it would have been about the size of a house cat.
The Park Service said in a press release that the tiny, hornless deer lived in South Dakota about 32 million years ago, during the Oligocene Epoch. It belongs to an extinct family of deer that are considered relatives to the modern-day chevrotains, or mouse deer, typically found in the tropical forests of central and western Africa and southeast Asia.
New deer found by park visitor, brings career full circle
Research into the deer was prompted by the discovery of a nearly in-tact skull by a visitor and reached the scientists through a report filed by Geoscientists-in-the-Parks intern Tiffany Leone in 2016.
“It’s a really neat example with this paper to be able to highlight citizen science, because this is the only skull of this animal ever found,” Mattison Shreero, co-lead researcher from the National Park Service said in the press release. “And if somebody had walked away with it, or if they just hadn’t reported it and it had eroded away, we would have never known about it.”
The deer genus, Santuccimeryx, was named to honor the work of Vincent L. Santucci, the Senior Paleontologist and Paleontology Program Coordinator in the Geologic Resources Division of the National Park Service.
“I am both personally and professionally grateful to be associated with this important new fossil discovery from Badlands National Park, where I began my career as a paleontologist,” Santucci said in the press release.
In her book “No Going Back,” Gov. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) discloses a shocking incident from two decades ago, when she killed her family’s 14-month-old puppy with a shotgun after the dog exhibited normal but rambunctious behavior on a hunting trip. This troubling revelation is more than just a personal moral failing on Noem’s part. Her decision to recount this story with pride represents a profound abdication of her responsibilities as a leader and elected official.
The public backlash to this troubling revelation has been encouraging. People across the political spectrum have expressed their horror and condemnation of Noem’s actions, underscoring a fundamental truth: Compassion for animals is not a partisan issue, but a core human value that unites us all.
But while it’s heartening to see such widespread empathy for a puppy, we must also recognize that our circle of compassion is often too narrow. Dogs, cats and a select few other species are frequently granted a level of moral consideration that we fail to extend to countless other sentient creatures. Pigs, cows, chickens and fish, for example, are routinely subjected to immense cruelty and suffering in our factory farming system, yet their plight rarely elicits the same public outcry.
If we are to truly live up to our values of compassion and respect for life, we must expand our sphere of concern to encompass all creatures capable of suffering. The fact that an animal is not cute, cuddly or familiar to us does not make its pain any less real or its life any less valuable.
Noem’s pride in her cruel actions towards her puppy is particularly offensive given the multitude of humane options available to her at the time. Professional training, behavior modification and responsible rehoming were all viable alternatives that any conscientious caretaker would have pursued. Her choice to resort to lethal violence instead was a disturbing reflection of a mindset that views animals as disposable and unworthy of moral consideration.
Tragically, this mindset is not limited to Noem. It is pervasive in our society, and it enables the systematic mistreatment of billions of animals each year. When leaders like Noem normalize and even boast about such cruelty, they contribute to a culture that devalues animal life and undermines our collective humanity.
As a society, we must do better. We must recognize that compassion is not a finite resource to be hoarded and selectively applied, but a boundless wellspring that grows the more we exercise it. By extending our empathy to all sentient beings, we not only alleviate an immense amount of suffering, but we also cultivate the best in ourselves.
Noem would do well to take note of the raft of worthy animal protection bills in Congress supported by a bipartisan majorities. Animal welfare is at the very heart of congressional debate over the Farm Bill. There are two measures concerning companion animals, animals in puppy mills and other animals in need, and they deserve to be included in the Farm Bill and passed into law.
The Better Collaboration, Accountability and Regulatory Enforcement (CARE) for Animals Act, which is sponsored by Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Penn.), Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), would give the Department of Justice more tools to strengthen enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act and provide meaningful deterrents to acts of cruelty.
The Puppy Protection Act — sponsored by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Penn.), Rep. Reschenthaler, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Cali.) — would address serious gaps in welfare standards for tens of thousands of dogs and puppies at large-scale breeding operations licensed by the USDA.
More urgently, a few House Agriculture Committee Republicans are attempting to gut states’ rights and animal welfare by including language to invalidate more than a dozen state laws addressing intensive confinement cruelty to animals raised for food, along with hundreds of laws relating to states’ rights to protect puppies and regulate products within their borders. That’s wrong, not least because nearly 80 percent of American voters, including nearly equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats, support enactment of laws designed to protect farm animals.
It would be a shame if House Agriculture Chair Glenn Thompson (R-Penn.) and his colleagues missed the moral opportunity revealed by Noem’s terrible misjudgment. Americans want their elected representatives to do right by animals and take action to spare them from callous and unnecessary cruelty. They’re making their preferences for humane treatment clear in the marketplace and in the court of public opinion — and Congress should follow their lead.
The public condemnation of Noem’s actions is a heartening sign that our society’s moral compass is pointing in the right direction. But we must not stop at dogs and cats. Expanding our circle of compassion to include all creatures capable of suffering will lead towards a more just and humane world.
The link between animal cruelty and human violence only underscores the urgency of this imperative. By fostering a culture of respect for all life, we not only improve the lives of animals, but we create a society that is safer and more peaceful for humans as well.
Gov. Noem had an opportunity to demonstrate empathy, responsibility and kindness in the face of difficult challenges. By instead boasting about callous violence, she betrayed the public trust and the principles of decency that bind us together. Let us learn from this shameful episode and recommit ourselves to building a better world — for the sake of animals and humans alike.
Kitty Block is the president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. Sara Amundson serves as the president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi on Thursday said the species would be added to its commercial whaling list after the country’s Fisheries Agency this week sought public comment on a draft revision of its policies.
TOKYO, May 9 (Reuters) – Japan will add large fin whales to its list of commercial whaling species, government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Thursday, five years after leaving an international body that regulates the commercial hunt of the marine mammals.
Japan resumed commercial whaling in its territorial waters and exclusive economic zones in 2019, on withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
This week, its Fisheries Agency sought public comment on a draft revision of its aquatic resource control policies that would allow commercial catching of fin whales.
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The Japanese government will continue to promote whaling and take the necessary diplomatic steps, Hayashi told a regular press conference.
“Whales are important food resources and should be sustainably utilised, based on scientific evidence,” said Hayashi, the chief cabinet secretary, referring to widening the allowable catch to include fin whales.
Item 1 of 2 Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi attends a press conference following Japan and the Gulf Cooperation Council Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, September 7, 2023. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri/File Photo
[1/2]Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi attends a press conference following Japan and the Gulf Cooperation Council Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, September 7, 2023. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
“It’s also important to inherit traditional food cultures in Japan.
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Japan caught a total of 294 minke whales, Bryde’s whales and sei whales last year, said the Fisheries Agency, which currently limits commercial whaling to the three relatively minor species.
Whale consumption in Japan peaked in the early 1960s but did not become widespread as other meat became more easily available.
Japan drew criticism from environmental groups for launching what it called scientific research whaling in 1987, following an IWC regulation that banned commercial whale hunts.
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Australia and New Zealand were among the nations that expressed disappointment when Japan declared it was withdrawing from the IWC in 2018.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem speaks at the Calvin Coolidge Foundation conference at the Library of Congress on February 17, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
AMay 4th Colorado GOP fundraiser, where Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., was supposed to speak, was canceled due to threats sparked by her admission of killing her 14-month-old dog, Cricket.
Nancy Pallozzi, Jefferson County Republican Party Chair, said in a statement posted on social media that the group had initially thought the timing for the fundraiser was “perfect,” since the South Dakota governor’s book, “No Going Back,” comes out soon. But attitudes have changed towards Noem, as examples of her cruelty towards animals continue to make headlines.
“Numerous threats and/or death threats” have been made to the county organization, the Denver West Marriott where the fundraiser was being hosted, and to Noem herself, according to Pallozzi.
“After a conversation with the Governor’s office late Wednesday, we mutually decided that safety was the most important concern for everyone involved,” Pallozzi wrote.
Despite the threats to the Marriott, which received “alarming comments” worth “deep concern over the safety and security for those attending our event, other guests, and their staff,” Pallozi confirmed that the local GOP is “not taking a position on the public outcry on the governor’s book.”
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However, she did add that the fundraiser had an adverse effect. “We lost money in this,” Pallozzi told NBC News. “This was meant to be a fundraiser, but now we’ve lost thousands of dollars.”
The consequences of what Noem describes in her book — which also details her murdering a “mean” and “smelly” goat — have impacted her political aspirations, no doubt.
After reports of her shooting her wirehaired pointer, whom she “hated” because the puppy didn’t take to her initial hunting training, the anecdote seems to have severely hurt her chances of being Trump’s running mate, as even he is giving her stink-eye over it.
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When Noem spoke at a Trump donor retreat at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, she seemed less than apologetic about her actions, and far more concerned with how it would be yet another exercise to show her political contemporaries that she has what it takes to make it.
“They’re just attacking me like crazy right now,” she said. “But listen, that’s a good thing. It’s a good thing because it makes you stronger, and it teaches you, really, what you’re up against. And it makes you recognize how much they lie. How much they will twist. How much they will manipulate. And you just have to be strong and be happy warriors.”
It seems as though Noem has even doubled down on her animal killing spree, and hints in her book that she’ll kill Biden’s dog, if an opportunity presents itself wherein she feels such an action would be necessary.
In an interview with CBS, the interviewer confirms this: “At the end of the book, you say the very first thing you would do if you got to the White House, that was different from Biden, is you would make sure Biden’s dog was nowhere on the grounds. ‘Commander say hello to Cricket.’ Are you trying to look tough?”
When asked if she still thinks she has a shot at being vice president, Noem, who has suddenly decided she is the equivalent to animal control, said, “Well, number one, Joe Biden’s dog has attacked 24 Secret Service people.” Staying on-brand, she ended with compliments to herself and her state of South Dakota being “happy and doing well.”
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem speaks at the Calvin Coolidge Foundation conference at the Library of Congress on February 17, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Exposing the Big Game 