{"id":397,"date":"2025-08-26T11:01:53","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T11:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/attorneycalendar.com\/?p=397"},"modified":"2025-08-26T11:39:05","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T11:39:05","slug":"the-wolf-killing-and-abuse-case-that-could-change-wyoming-opinion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/attorneycalendar.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/26\/the-wolf-killing-and-abuse-case-that-could-change-wyoming-opinion\/","title":{"rendered":"The wolf-killing and abuse case that could change Wyoming (Opinion)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Wyoming man who deliberately ran down a wolf with his snowmobile in 2024 didn\u2019t face any consequences, unless you count a $250 fine for \u201cpossessing a live animal.\u201d But as the terrible story and graphic photos of the wolf\u2019s suffering spread across the nation, public reaction could be summed up as \u201chorrified.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, the Wyoming state Legislature failed to make illegal what Cody Roberts did. After running over the young female wolf with his snowmobile, Roberts paraded the dazed animal \u2014 its mouth taped shut \u2014 through a bar in Daniel, Wyoming. Then he shot the wolf dead.<\/p>\n

In reaction, Wyoming\u2019s governor and legislature passed a bill with no substance, House Bill 275, blandly labeled \u201cThe treatment of animals.\u201d In passing it, Wyoming lawmakers sanctioned killing wildlife with vehicles.<\/p>\n

At a hearing before the vote, representatives of Wyoming\u2019s agricultural community defended the practice. One argued that without access to M-44 sodium-cyanide bombs that are now virtually prohibited, they needed to run over wolves and other wildlife with vehicles to protect their livestock.<\/p>\n

For a while it seemed that the old ways of the Cowboy State would persist without question. That is, until the attorney for Sublette County convened a grand jury to examine Cody Roberts\u2019 actions.<\/p>\n

The closed-door grand jury acted on August 21, indicting Roberts on \u201cfelony animal cruelty,<\/a>\u201d an offense punishable by up to 2 years in prison, a fine of $5,000, or both. Roberts must appear in court to enter a plea of \u201cguilty\u201d or \u201cnot guilty\u201d at arraignment. He could accept a plea deal or take a gamble and face trial.<\/p>\n

Wyoming\u2019s decision leaders may not realize it, but they now face a new landscape that increasingly demands responsible, nuanced responses, as well as humane policies involving animals. This ethic has already emerged in the West. For the most part, Wyoming leaders seem to be taking bad advice from the wrong people and find themselves badly out of step with the rest of the nation.<\/p>\n

In a better world, those who work with animals\u2013whether wild or domestic\u2014would use ingenuity to prevent negative interactions with wildlife. Using the blunt force of a snowmobile to \u201cmanage\u201d wildlife isn\u2019t wildlife management at all: It is state-sanctioned cruelty.<\/p>\n

Roberts needs to be punished. But what\u2019s really at stake is achieving a changed relationship with wildlife in Wyoming. Ethics, not indifference, and a responsible attitude should prevail. And the state\u2019s politicians and leaders need to be at the head of the parade on passing and enforcing laws that reflect the values of their fellow citizens.<\/p>\n

In two separate polls, an overwhelming majority of Wyoming residents\u2013including 74% of sportsmen\u2014agreed that running over animals with vehicles is neither ethical nor \u201cfair chase.\u201d Our poll showed 71% of Wyoming residents do not approve of animal cruelty.<\/p>\n

The coming years could pose a rare opportunity for sportsmen, conservationists\u2013and also the agricultural community\u2014 to find common ground, building a future where humane wildlife stewardship is the norm.<\/p>\n

I believe this can happen because precedents exist. Simultaneously with the passage of its HB275 wolf bill this year, another nightmare had been brewing: Two legislators proposed a bill to allow year-round hunting and trapping of mountain lions. But hunters and wildlife advocates stood together and shouted a collective \u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n

The Legislature listened. That moment proved something important. When we rise above division and focus on fairness and respect for wildlife, we can protect what makes Wyoming wild and wonderful, and we can do it together.<\/p>\n