Man hits wolf with snowmobile, tapes his mouth shut and takes him to bar – and none of it is illegal

A man hit a wolf with a snowmobile, taped the injured animal’s mouth shut and took it to a bar, prompting tougher Wyoming animal cruelty laws.

Wyoming’s animal cruelty law currently does not apply to predators such as wolves. Under a bill to go before a legislative committee Monday, people could still intentionally run over wolves, but only if they make “all reasonable efforts” to kill it, either at the moment of impact or shortly after. time later.

The bill does not specify how a surviving wolf should be killed after being intentionally struck.

The plight of the wolf that struck western Wyoming last winter has sparked scrutiny of state policy.

The animal was photographed lying on the floor of a bar in Sublette County and led to calls for a boycott of Wyoming’s $4.8 billion-a-year tourism industry (3.6 million pounds), centered on Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, the wolves’ primary habitats. This had little effect, with Yellowstone on track to experience one of its busiest summer seasons on record.

Wildlife advocates have pushed back against the ranching state’s reluctance to change laws drafted after lengthy negotiations to remove federal protection for the species.

Other changes to the bill may be in the works, but the proposal discussed Monday wouldn’t change much, according to Kristin Combs, executive director of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates.

“Everyone is against the torture of animals. So far, not one person I’ve met has said, ‘Yes, I want to continue doing this,'” Ms. Combs said Friday.

The man who punched the wolf – and killed it after displaying it – paid a $250 fine for illegal possession of wildlife, but did not face tougher charges.

Sublette County investigators said their investigations into the wolf incident have stalled because witnesses refused to talk.

Clayton Melinkovich, the county attorney, said via email Friday that the case remains under investigation and he could not comment on details.

Unreported Murders

How often Wyoming wolves are intentionally put down – for a quick death or otherwise – is unknown. Such killings do not need to be reported and recorded cases such as the Sublette County incident are rare.

The case has drawn new attention to Wyoming’s wolf-killing policies, which are the least restrictive of any state where the animals roam.

Wolves kill sheep, cattle and game, making them unpopular in rural areas for ranchers and hunters.

Across the region, state laws aim to prevent predators from proliferating outside the Yellowstone mountain ecosystem and other areas where ranchers raise cattle and sheep.

In most of the United States, wolves are federally protected as endangered or threatened species, but not in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, where they are hunted and trapped under state laws and regulations. In Wyoming, wolves can be killed without limits in 85 percent of the state outside the Yellowstone region.

Although few people in Wyoming have spoken out in favor of what happened to the wolf, officials are reluctant to change the law to discourage mistreatment.

Jim Magagna of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association condemned what happened but called it an isolated incident unrelated to the state’s wolf management laws.

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