State inaction is the primary reason that the Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons (SAW) Act is needed at the federal level
Cheyenne, WY — Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy strongly criticized the set of Wyoming lawmakers who decided not to adopt a statewide policy forbidding intentional chasing down, running over, and injuring and killing wildlife with snowmobiles.
An amendment proposed by Mike Schmid to House Bill 275 “Treatment of animals” would have prohibited striking animals with snowmobiles on public land.
Other states, from Colorado to Minnesota, forbid this activity without controversy. Animal Wellness Action will renew its efforts in Congress to pass the Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons (SAW) Act, to forbid chasing down and running over wolves and other animals with snowmobiles on federal lands.
“Running over wildlife with snowmobiles is sadistic and bears no resemblance to hunting or other accepted forms of taking of wildlife,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. “This practice is way outside the norms of acceptable treatment of any animal, and it is very alarming that the Wyoming legislature has not taken action to address this problem after the Sublette County incident of 2024.”
Awareness of the barbaric and cruel practices of “whacking” or “thumping” came to light after revelations about a wolf torture incident committed by Cody Roberts in early 2024. The Wyoming mountain lion trophy hunter and cattle rancher used a snowmobile to run over and capture an adolescent female wolf. Roberts publicly tormented the wolf before patrons at a bar, celebrated the abuse on social media, and shot the animal to death behind a bar in Daniel, Wyo. Since then, other footage of snowmobile-related torment of animals has surfaced — including a video of a snowmobiler repeatedly running over a coyote.
In response to ongoing issues at the state level, federal lawmakers introduced the Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons Act in 2024. This act aims to establish a nationwide standard prohibiting the use of snowmobiles and other motorized vehicles to injure or kill wildlife on public lands, addressing a loophole in current wildlife protection laws.
“Precisely because Wyoming failed to address this issue, we will now pursue a federal legislative response with vigor,”added Pacelle. “The action also decreases confidence that states are adequately handling their responsibilities to protect wolves after removal of the species from the list of federally protected threatened or endangered species.”
“Using snowmobiles as weapons to run over free roaming wildlife is simply recreational wildlife abuse,” added Elaine Leslie, Ph.D., former chief of biological services for the National Park Service. Dr. Leslie lives in western Colorado, and notes that Colorado explicitly forbids chasing down any wildlife with a motorized vehicle.
“Minnesota has more wolves than any other state in the lower 48 and is a snowmobiling mecca, so the application of the law is an important practical example of its universal social acceptance,” added Pacelle. “Its law has been in place for 40 years without even a whiff of controversy.”