Uproar After Hunter Allegedly Takes Wolf Into Bar, Kills It

A man and a wolf walk into a bar. It isn't a joke, though some argue the consequences for the man who allegedly paraded the yearling wolf in front of bar patrons before killing it behind the building are indeed laughable. Wyoming hunter Cody Roberts allegedly chased down the wolf with a snowmobile, struck the animal until it was disabled, wrapped tape around its mouth, then brought it inside the Green River Bar in Daniel on Feb. 29. He then allegedly posed with his arm around the wolf, a beer in his other hand, before killing it.

Roberts has been fined $250 for violating a regulation governing the possession of live wild animals, reports WyoFile.com. Nearly 70,000 people have signed a petition demanding he face felony animal cruelty charges, punishable by a $5,000 fine and up to two years in prison, the Guardian reports. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has said little, claiming "any information regarding wolves taken in Wyoming is not a public record."

The state law cited, enacted in 2012 to protect hunters' privacy, only applies to those "legally taking a wolf," not those found to have broken the law to take possession of a live wolf, WyoFile.com reports. State wildlife officials apparently view Roberts' killing of the wolf as legal, having taken place within what is considered Wyoming's predator zone. As to his methods of obtaining and holding the animal, they argue animal cruelty statutes don't apply to predator species, per WyoFile.com.

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That technically means wolves, coyotes, and even stray cats "could be tortured in Wyoming without legal repercussions," which animal rights activists and others view as outrageous, per the outlet. In this case, "such an anemic response on the part of law enforcement will be seen by some as tacit approval of his crime and can only motivate other like-minded individuals driven by hatred of wolves to engage in similar, repugnant behavior," says Scott Edwards, general counsel for American Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, per the Guardian. "In view of this, I think every state should be reviewing their statutes to make sure that this kind of cruelty is punishable," adds Dan Ashe, president of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. (More wolves stories.)