Dear Editor,

Why did the commission cut us off from speaking? The commission meeting ended with a huge stack of public comment requests unheard, silencing many voices, including mine. This disregard left concerns unaddressed at a time when all commissioners and the public were available to engage.
• Why didn’t the commission act on anything at the meeting? They had the perfect opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to responsible wildlife management. They could have revoked Cody Roberts’ hunting privileges, pushed for a ban on snowmobile hunting, recommended the expansion for Trophy Game status for wolves, or initiated felony animal cruelty charges. Their inaction not only shows a lack of determination to end the culture of wolf torture in Wyoming but also suggests a disturbing level of tolerance for such behavior.
• The commission’s apparent indifference to this horrific incident is a glaring example of the deficiencies in our regulatory framework. Opting to let the issue fade into obscurity reflects a troubling pattern of neglect that only strengthens our push to have wolves re-listed as endangered. Despite the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission’s most recent claim that this incident does not indicate a failure of wildlife policy, the reality speaks otherwise. Similarly, State Sen. Larry Hicks’ dismissal of this event as an “aberration” overlooks the likely underreporting of such brutal acts.

• For years, conservation groups have warned about the dangers of snowmobile hunting. Representative Mike Yin’s 2019 proposal to criminalize running over wolves and coyotes with snowmobiles was inexplicably killed in committee. Why was this measure dismissed, and why has it not been reintroduced? Claims by Wyoming Game and Fish of being the “gold standard in wildlife management” ring hollow without concrete action, revealing an approach that favors control and extermination over true stewardship.
• The assertion that 85 percent of Wyoming is an “unsuitable habitat for wolves” smacks more of political expediency than scientific reasoning. The wolf predator designation severely undermines proper wolf management and protection.
• Why does Wyoming insist on categorizing animals as predators at all? The rules and regulations concerning predator control on the Wyoming Animal Damage Management Board’s (WADMB) website mention “livestock” 73 times. The WADMB was established to defend the livestock industry, funneling millions annually into lethal predator control methods. In the last two years, Gov. Mark Gordon allocated $1.48 million for predator management, with the vast majority of these funds being used for lethal control. What does this tell Wyoming residents about how the state devalues predator species? We urge everyone to participate in the next meeting of the Wyoming Animal Damage Management Board on May 15 and 16 to voice their concerns about the lack of value placed on predator lives in Wyoming.
• Testimonies at the commission meeting from people who traveled from as far as South Carolina, veterinarians who spoke of the signs of the wolf’s evident suffering, psychologists who noted the disturbing implications of such cruelty, and Wyoming residents casting light on the widespread, ingrained culture of wolf hatred in the state, all indicate that this is not an isolated incident but part of a broader, deeply troubling pattern.

Sincerely,
Dagny Signorelli, Wyoming Director, Western Watersheds Project