A pair of animal welfare groups have put up a combined $20,000 in reward money for information that might lead to stiffer penalties against a Sublette County man who allegedly captured a wolf and tormented the animal before killing it.
“We’re looking for information that leads to the arrest and at least one year in prison for him. That is what will result in payment of our reward,” Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy, told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday.
He was referring to Cody Roberts, 42, of Daniel, Wyoming, who’s been accused of disabling a young wolf, tormenting it at a local bar then killing the animal.
“We’ll see what we get, but we’re not opposed to offering an even more substantial amount for information that leads to an arrest and conviction,” Pacelle said.
The Center for a Humane Economy is offering a reward of $15,000, while Wolves of the Rockies is putting up $5,000.
“The money for that reward is to simply bring people forward,” Wolves of the Rockies spokeswoman Kim Bean told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday.
Her organization is offering the $5,000 for “substantial,” time-stamped videos or photos that document what allegedly happened to the wolf in the Green River Bar in Daniel on Feb. 29.
“We understand that people are afraid to come forward. We will make sure their identity is protected and their voice is heard,” Bean said.
Somebody Must Have Seen Something
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department last week released two short video clips of the evidently injured and weakened wolf allegedly languishing on the floor of the bar.
Cowboy State Daily later obtained another short clip, showing Roberts teasing the animal and kissing it.
According to accounts, Roberts ran the wolf down with a snowmobile, captured the injured animal and took it to his residence, then showed it off in the bar before killing it.
The incident took place in Wyoming’s “predator zone” for wolves, where it is legal to hunt and kill wolves at any time, with no hunting tags required.
However, Roberts allegedly capturing and keeping the wolf violates Game and Fish regulations, and the agency fined him $250 for illegal possession of a live wolf.
Many people across the country and around the world are livid at what they perceive as Roberts getting only minimal punishment and have been calling for stiffer penalties.
The reward money from the advocacy groups ups the ante on that.
More Investigation
The Sublette County Sheriff’s Office last week announced that it’s working with the county attorney’s office and Game and Fish to investigate the matter further and possibly file more charges.
The videos that have already emerged will likely strengthen that case, Bean said. But her organization and others would like even more evidence to bolster the investigation.
“There were plenty of people in the bar that day,” Bean said, adding that somebody must have seen more and documented more.
“This isn’t personal for our organization. We’re 100% trying to get more information to aid law enforcement,” she said.
She added that it was good to see Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik, Gov. Mark Gordon and other officials condemn the incident.
“I was born and raised in Wyoming,” said Bean, who now lives in Colorado. “What happened to that wolf isn’t the Wyoming way.”
What About Federal Charges?
Pacelle said his organization likewise plans to share any substantial evidence it might find with investigators and prosecutors.
Along with state and Sublette County officials, it’s hoped that federal investigators, such as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents, might get involved, he said.
There could be provisions under the Lacy Act or other regulations that could result in federal animal cruelty and/or illegal possession of wildlife charges being filed against Roberts, Pacelle said.
The Center for a Humane Economy is interested in information that could pin down the location of where Roberts allegedly captured the wolf, he said.
“The key factor with the Lacy Act is, where did he strike the wolf on the snowmobile and take possession of her? If it was on federal land, then the Lacy Act might apply,” Pacelle said.
Federal Charges Stuck In ‘Mutant Bighorn Sheep’ Case
The Lacey Act prohibits such things as the interstate trade in wildlife that has been taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of federal or state law.
It was recently used to successfully prosecute Arthur “Jack” Schubarth, 80, of Vaughn, Montana, on two federal wildlife violation charges. Prosecutors say he illegally used genetic material from Central Asian Marco Polo Argali sheep to create gigantic hybrid bighorn sheep on his ranch in Montana.
Each count that Schubarth faces in that case carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. He’s scheduled to be sentenced July 11 in U.S. District Court for the District of Montana.
Contact Mark Heinz at mark@cowboystatedaily.com
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
