Animal wellness groups call for criminal investigation and prosecution of perpetrators, after successful prosecution of Cody Roberts for his torment of a wolf
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy today condemned an apparent appalling act of cruelty against a wounded and defenseless coyote depicted in a recently uncovered video reportedly originating in Wyoming and offered a $3,000 reward for additional information leading to the successful prosecution of the suspect. Footloose Montana has contributed $500 toward the reward sum.
The disturbing footage appears to show a man repeatedly kicking a severely injured coyote and stabbing the animal with a knife while it lies helpless on the ground. The individual depicted has been identified by third parties as Aron Snyder, reportedly the host of the Born Primitive Outdoor Podcast. Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy noted that the conduct in the video is unlawful under Wyoming’s criminal animal cruelty statutes and potentially under applicable federal law depending on the surrounding facts and circumstances.
“The depravity captured on the video shocks the conscience,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. “There is no hunting ethic, no wildlife management principle, and no moral framework that excuses the deliberate torment of a wounded and defenseless animal.”
The allegations are particularly troubling because Aron Snyder and the Born Primitive Outdoor Podcast have publicly portrayed themselves as advocates for “ethical hunting” and responsible conduct in the field.
“Depraved behavior like this is well beyond the bounds of civil society,” say Dr. Anja Heister, executive director of Footloose Montana, a Montana-based organization that aims to end trapping on public lands. “This case of extreme cruelty is a stress test for our current system of lethal wildlife management, so often disregarding the suffering of wildlife and tolerating this kind of vicious violence against sentient animals.”
The organizations noted troubling parallels to the recent case involving Cody Roberts, the Wyoming man convicted under the state’s animal cruelty laws after capturing a severely injured wolf, transporting the suffering animal to a bar, and subjecting it to prolonged abuse before killing it. The public outrage surrounding that case focused not merely on the death of the animal, but on the gratuitous and intentional infliction of suffering.
The incident also follows closely on the heels of another disturbing episode in Wyoming involving the killing of two Rottweilers, which reignited concerns about violence toward animals and the need for meaningful enforcement of anti-cruelty laws.
“Wyoming prosecutors rightly recognized in the Cody Roberts case that the needless torment of an injured animal violates basic standards of decency and the state’s cruelty laws,” said Scott Edwards, General Counsel for Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. “For the very same reasons Roberts was prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced, the individual shown to have engaged in the conduct depicted in this video should likewise be prosecuted and, upon proof beyond a reasonable doubt, convicted. No person should be above the law simply because the victim is a wild animal. Ethical hunting demands a quick, humane kill and respect for wildlife. What appears in this video, by contrast, is gratuitous cruelty.”
Following the national outrage generated by the Roberts case, Wyoming’s lawmakers did enact legislation to explicitly prohibit the torture, torment, or mutilation of captured wildlife—including predatory animals like wolves. However, the legislation falls short of truly protecting wildlife from cruel behavior. While the new law addresses the abuse of animals once they are physically restrained, it completely fails to outlaw the widely condemned practice of using snowmobiles and other motorized vehicles to chase, run over, and crush wildlife. By leaving this loophole open, lawmakers have allowed a barbaric method of assaulting wildlife to remain legal.
To encourage witnesses and others with relevant information to come forward, Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy are offering a $3,000 reward for information leading to the successful prosecution and conviction of the individual responsible for the acts depicted in the video. The organizations urge anyone with direct knowledge concerning the identity of the individual involved, the circumstances surrounding the incident, or any related evidence to provide that information to appropriate law enforcement authorities. Footloose Montana has contributed to the reward sum, as noted above.