JACKSON — Environmental groups are hiring new policymakers to make changes aimed at protecting wolves after a Wyoming man allegedly mistreated Daniel's wolf, sparking international outrage. Lobbying groups.
More than 60 conservation groups, including Jackson-based Wyoming Untrapped and Wyoming Wildlife Advocates, last week warned the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service that they are using snowmobiles and other vehicles to hunt wild animals on public lands. wrote a letter calling for a ban on killing.
Amarok Weiss, senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said, “Hunting down wild animals with a vehicle is just one of many hunting activities approved by state wildlife management agencies, and it is a common practice for hunting wild animals on federal public property.” There is no place in the earth.” “You have an opportunity to make it clear that the cruelty to wildlife seen in Wyoming has no place on federal public lands. Please seize this moment.”
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Cody Roberts, the Daniel man charged with tormenting the wolf, is accused of running over the wolf with his snowmobile, taking it home to a bar in Green River, and then killing it. Mr. Roberts' actions caused an uproar, in part because the charge of possessing a live wild animal was only a $250 charge, a misdemeanor.
In Wyoming, wolves are considered “predators” in 85% of the state, meaning they can be killed in almost any way without limit. There are some limitations. People must follow trapping regulations and are prohibited from using automatic weapons, shooting wolves from a vehicle, or if under the influence of alcohol. In response to the incident, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department also cited Roberts and said animal cruelty laws do not apply to predators, a contention that advocates and some Wyoming attorneys dispute.
The apparent legality of Roberts' actions has led to calls for a ban on running over animals with snowmobiles (a practice known as “yote whacking”) and for extending animal cruelty protections to all animals. ing.
Wyoming officials are beginning to consider policy reforms. Gov. Mark Gordon has formed a group to discuss the incident and Wyoming's wolf policy, and a legislative committee is scheduled to discuss wolf policy in May.
But some observers believe it is premature for environmental groups to pursue federal action, especially given the amount of work federal agencies are currently completing in Wyoming. For example, the Bureau of Land Management is currently in the process of completing the controversial Rock Springs Resource Management Plan and other measures related to renewable energy and oil and gas development. BLM also just completed the Biden administration's conservation-oriented public lands rules.
“The federal government is doing an awful lot here right now,” said Rob Wallace, a former Interior Department official and Teton County resident who oversaw the Park Service during the Trump administration.
“I don't think they're going to make a big effort like this and it won't work,” Wallace said, pleading with environmental groups to wait until the state takes action and the Sublette County investigation is complete. “Before you run off to the federal government for relief, we encourage you to see what’s going on there.”
Wallace also said the incident illustrates an issue that no one knew about until it happened. But wildlife groups say that's not the case, arguing that “yote bashing” has been occurring in Wyoming for years and that the state's decision to classify wolves as predators set the stage for the Daniel incident. There is.
It also remains unclear if and how Wyoming will act, especially since most of the reforms remain in the hands of conservative legislators.
In 2019, Rep. Mike Yin (D-Jackson) introduced a bill in the Wyoming State Legislature that would ban snowmobiles from running over predators. The bill received only two votes and did not pass out of committee.
Now, Lisa Robertson, co-founder and president of Wyoming Untrapped, said she fully expects Wyoming to take action to reform its predators.
“We can do it in the state and I think we can do it,” Robertson said. “I think the people of our state are ready to step up and do the right thing.”
