Standoff Over Wolf Torture: Locals Block Motorcycle Rally From Daniel Bar

DANIEL — After weeks of preparation, nearly 1,380 miles on the road and a couple of tense hours beforehand, the Hogs for Hope caravan — organized in response to a wolf that was tortured and killed in Daniel — finally rolled through that town at about noon Sunday.

With stoked emotions and strong opinions on both sides of international outrage and debate sparked by the wolf abuse, the potential for trouble was there. But so were deputies from the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office and troopers from the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

And in the end, only some harsh words, but no blows, were exchanged during the group’s roughly 3-minute parade through the small western Wyoming town.

‘Bitch Move’ And ‘Chickenshits’

The main organizer, dog trainer and social media influencer Jonas Black, had left a few days earlier from his home in Austin, Texas. He and other participants had originally planned to stop in Daniel for a brief gathering in front of the Green River Bar on Sunday.

There, they were to present donations raised through Hogs for Hope to representatives of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates and Wolves of the Rockies. The groups plan to use the money for a political campaign to reform Wyoming’s predator management policies and animal cruelty statutes.

Shortly before rolling into Daniel, Black announced to the group that donations had hit nearly $130,000.

But the meeting and presentation in front of the bar didn’t happen.

The bar was completely cut off from the street buy a line of cattle haul trucks, flatbed trailers and vehicles that had been parked end-to-end in front of it. That was reportedly done by friends and family of Daniel resident Cody Roberts, 42, the man who’s accused of capturing, torturing and killing the wolf.

During a stop on the way toward Daniel, upon receiving the news from others in the caravan that the bar had been blocked off, Black said that was “a bitch move.”

Conversely, some of the locals lining the street as he and the others rolled through shouted that they were “chickenshits” for not stopping.

A Long Road In

The journey began early Sunday morning as caravan members gathered in the parking lot of the Flaming Gorge Harley-Davidson dealership in Green River. Black had arrived in Wyoming and greeted supporters there Saturday afternoon.

Prior to leaving, Julie Nation told Cowboy State Daily that she had traveled from her home in Frederick, Maryland, to be part of the rally.

“I needed to come here and show my face and meet Jonas,” she said.

Green River local Dwaine Shafe also joined the caravan.

“I like the cause. And I like doing these escorts,” said Shafe.

The group departed at about 8 a.m. with Black and three other motorcycle riders leading the way. About a dozen vehicles followed. Black’s Parents, Mike and Christiane Black of Tucson, Arizona, brought up the rear in an RV.

On dry highways, the trip between Green River and Daniel usually takes about two hours, and Hogs for Hope had planned to arrive there at 10 a.m.

But it was slow going in places, including a cut-across between highways along a dirt road.

The group also had a long pause when it met a small crowd of other supporters, as well as sheriff’s deputies, a couple of miles outside Daniel.

The group stopped again in a pullout just beyond the edge of town. There, Black gave a pep talk, along with Kim Bean from Wolves of the Rockies and Kristin Combs from Wyoming Wildlife Advocates.

Shortly before rolling forward into Daniel, there was a chant of “show your teeth!” That’s the Hogs for Hope slogan, inspired by video showing the wolf baring its teeth at a man identified as Roberts, as he lifts the injured animal’s head to kiss its muzzle.

Cheers And Jeers

Daniel, with a listed population of just over 100, was crowded on both sides of the street awaiting the arrival of the Hogs for Hope rally.

The crowd included supporters and critics of Hogs for Hope.

There were tense moments between the two groups, but nothing became physical.

Bean reportedly had harsh words with a local just before the caravan moved into town.

Some locals approached by Cowboy State Daily declined to comment.

There were both cheers and jeers during the caravan’s brief roll-through.

One local resident sarcastically shouted, “Don’t hit our deer when you visit” at some of the passing vehicles.

Others shouted that Black is a “woman beater,” referencing an alleged 2014 domestic violence charge against him. While in Wyoming, Black mentioned that as “an attempt to slander” him, and he said repeatedly that the charge had been dismissed.

After the pass-through, the crowd began to dissipate and normal traffic, including Memorial Day weekend tourists, began to fill the road again.

Black and his supporters kept going, on toward a planned celebratory party in Jackson.

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.