New Wyoming Bill is a Step in the Right Direction, But Does it Go Far Enough?

On the heels of an absolutely disgusting display of animal cruelty, House Bill 275 was written in response to a tragedy that took place in Daniel, Wyoming last winter.

Last February, Daniel resident Cody Roberts ran down a wild wolf with a snowmobile, captured the still-alive animal, took it to his home, duct-taped its mouth closed and posed for photos with it. If that wasn’t egregious enough, Roberts then went on to parade the injured canine inside the Green River Bar where more photo-ops and video content was filmed. Following the photo session, Roberts took the suffering animal behind the bar and killed it.

Coming as no surprise, the incident sparked international controversy which was only ignited further when Roberts was only charged for illegal possession of a live, warm-blooded animal, for which Roberts forfeited a $250 bond. 

As the cries from both the hunting community and non-hunting community rang out in unison, House Bill 275 was introduced in an effort to show the world that Wyoming was serious about cleaning up its tarnished reputation. In what is referred to as a “clean kill” bill, 275’s goal is to ensure that anyone deliberately prolonging an animal’s suffering would be charged with a felony that is punishable by up to two years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine.

On the surface, the idea behind the bill is good, but the question many are asking now is, does it go far enough?

While the bill, which is now advancing through the legislature, does a fine job of outlawing the deliberate prolonging of suffering of wolves and other predatory animals, it does little to affect the method often used. The practice of “whacking” or “mashing”, which involves the use of a motorized vehicle, such as a snowmobile, to pursue and run-over wolves or coyotes, was left out of the new bill.

“Why can we not put something in a bill that stops the use of motorized, over-the-ground vehicles and over-the-snow vehicles to be used as a weapon to kill any wildlife, including predators?” Rep. Mike Schmid, R-La Barge, told the House Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee on Tuesday.

Prior to the bill being advanced to the House Floor, an amendment to the legislation was proposed that would specify that predators would have to be killed in a ‘humane’ manner. In language many thought to be too broad to define or interpret, the amendment ultimately failed. 

With a unanimous vote sending Bill 275 to the floor - even without all of the proper language in place - it remains likely that another bill will soon surface to tackle concerns about methods of chase as it pertains to predators. With a rumored half dozen-or-so additional bills related to the Daniel incident, it’s likely that another will soon make its way through the state legislature.