Wyoming’s Failure Proves Wolf Management Cannot be Left to the States

Wyoming has been under fire for months, since Cody Roberts became infamous for running over a yearling wolf with a snowmobile before dragging her to a local bar, torturing, and then killing her.

This gruesome case shone an uncomfortable light on an unthinkably cruel pastime that a small group of immoral people in Wyoming participate in, called wolf or yote "whacking,” which involves running over wildlife with snowmobiles.

To address the massive outcry generated by this case, the state of Wyoming put together a working group to look into changing the laws around this abhorrent “sport.” Many were hopeful that this meant Wyoming would ban the sadistic practice once and for all.

Unfortunately, Wyoming has once again proven that its laws are designed to serve a small group of extremists, and as a state, it is incapable of sound wildlife management.

The working group has proposed a draft update to Wyoming’s law, which not only fails to ban wildlife whacking but also allows the practice to remain legal as long as the animal being murdered in this vicious manner is killed immediately after being run down.

The draft legislation states: “Any person who intentionally injures or disables a predatory animal by use of an automotive vehicle, motor-propelled wheeled vehicle, or vehicle designed for travel over snow shall upon inflicting the injury or disability immediately use all reasonable efforts to kill the injured or disabled predatory animal."

This is beyond absurd and a sickening response to the issue, considering the vast majority of people in Wyoming oppose killing wildlife in this manner. Chasing down wild animals with snowmobiles is clearly a form of torture, and no civilized society should ever condone this kind of inhumane treatment of wildlife. This case proves that wolf management cannot be left to the discretion of individual states, as many are run by individuals with a profound disdain for these critical keystone predators.

Thankfully, Wyoming's failure to protect wildlife has inspired a bipartisan group of Members of Congress to introduce federal legislation called the Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons Act, which aims to prohibit the violent practice of running animals over with snowmobiles on certain types of federal land.

This bill is an important step in the right direction, but it will not be enough to protect gray wolves across the board. The only way to ensure real protections for gray wolves from the various kinds of sadistic torment they face in states like Wyoming is to reinstate Endangered Species Act protections for all wolves.

If you have not already, please take the time to sign our petition to restore protections for gray wolves before it is too late.