A Wyoming hunter who reportedly ran over a gray wolf with a snowmobile, taped the creature’s mouth shut, took a picture with it inside a local bar and then shot it to death behind the tavern has ignited calls for stiffer penalties in such an egregious case of animal abuse.
Cody Roberts, 42, is at the center of the uproar after being ticketed and fined a couple of hundred dollars for illegally possessing the wolf while it was still alive – but so far going unpunished for the manner in which he is said to have killed the animal.
Meanwhile, Wyoming wildlife authorities have kept much of the case hidden under a veil of secrecy, arguing that records on wolves taken in the state are not matter of public record under laws there.
But the news outlet WyoFile.com reported that the laws only protect the privacy of people “legally taking a wolf” within the state and therefore may not apply in the case of Roberts, who stands accused of flagrantly and cruelly violating hunting ethics.
Just? No. Primarily? Yes.
Then so what?
Would you prefer the government to draft a bunch of untrained, unwilling vegans to go into the woods and manage invasive populations of prey animals? Perhaps the best people for the job would be volunteers who pay for something they consider a privilege? Then maybe the government could reinvest those fees into wilderness management programs? Like they do.
Despite your objections, that is the primary purpose of hunting.