Lawmakers in Wyoming have presented a bill that would revise the state's stance on animal cruelty after a video of a man abusing a deliberately injured wolf went viral in May.
According to CBS, the bill would make it illegal to intentionally run over a predator like a wolf with a motorized vehicle unless the operator immediately uses "all reasonable efforts to kill the injured … animal" upon impact or shortly thereafter.
While it doesn't specify how someone should proceed if a wolf survives initial contact, the proposal submits that first-time offenders guilty of violating this provision either be charged with a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $1,000, serve as many as six months in prison, or both.
"Everybody is against torturing animals. There is not a person I've come across so far that has said, 'Yes, I want to continue to do that,'" Kristin Combs, executive director of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates, said.
Current state animal cruelty laws do not prohibit residents from wounding a predatory species that results in prolonged suffering.
State officials pushed for this bill following the actions of a man in western Wyoming's Sublette County last winter. He allegedly hit a wolf with his snowmobile several times before taking the barely conscious animal to a bar to show off and killing it.
Footage of the incident shows the man kissing the muzzled wolf lying on the ground and features laughter in the background, sparking anger among conservationists and animal rights activists.
While the case remains open, investigators have had trouble pressing any charges with witnesses refusing to speak. The man has only had to pay a fine of $250 for illegal possession of wildlife.
Gray wolves are a federally protected species under the Endangered Species Act but are legal to hunt and kill in most of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana.
Wyoming's policies regarding wolves are some of the most lenient in the nation, as ranchers and hunters have taken issue with the canine's propensity to kill livestock and game. Outside of Yellowstone, there are no restrictions to the number of wolves killed in 85% of the state.
However, several rewilding efforts have helped reintroduce wild wolves to California and Colorado. The keystone predators are crucial to balancing predator and prey numbers, as well as the health of the greater ecosystem.
For example, elk populations exploded in Yellowstone when wolves were hunted to near extinction, but the latter's return has kept the former in check and allowed willow and aspen trees that elk feed on to return.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
