There's growing public demand that a Wyoming man who captured and allegedly tortured a wolf by parading it around town before killing it face felony charges.
Details about the incident involving Cody Roberts, of Daniel, Wyoming, emerged in an article by Cowboy State Daily. The newspaper published a photograph of Roberts posing next to the wolf with its mouth taped shut.
According to the report, Roberts captured the wolf alive on Feb. 29 after he deliberately injured it by running it down with a snowmobile and then brought it to his house and then a bar before killing it.
However, the report also states that the animal was killed in a state-designated "predator zone," meaning that it could be killed without a permit and for any reason.
In a news release following the report, the Wyoming Game & Fish Department announced that an unidentified individual has been cited for illegally possessing a live wolf, which is a misdemeanor charge in the state.
Additionally, court records reportedly show that Roberts paid $250 for a wildlife violation that happened on the date of the incident.
Former public officials along with animal rights groups have called the wolf's treatment "sad and disgusting" and Roberts a "remorseless, cruel monster."
On social media, Cody Roberts' aunt, Jeanne Ivie-Roberts, posed with her mouth taped shut and a wolf carcass and said: "I love and support you Cody" after news broke about the alleged wolf torture. Credit: Jeanne Ivie-Roberts/Facebook
In a letter to officials in Sublette County, which is where the incident occurred, Scott Edwards, an attorney for the animal rights group Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, argued that Roberts should face harsher animal cruelty charges for his treatment of the wolf.
"[W]ithout further punishment under the law, mere vocal condemnation and a $250 slap on the wrist is not enough; there needs to be a clear message that Roberts actions are unquestionably unacceptable in a civilized society," Edwards wrote.
Additionally, one online petition has been circulating demanding that officials charge Roberts for animal cruelty. So far, it's received more than 17,000 signatures.
Tessa Branas, a self-described animal rights advocate who launched the petition, said that she was "appalled by the horrific act of cruelty inflicted upon a wolf" by Roberts. "If it was a person being tortured, the man would be in jail immediately," she wrote.
Another online petition, which has received 5,822, is demanding that Wyoming's Gov. Mark Gordon take immediate action to punish Roberts and "stand against animal cruelty."
In a statement, Gordon called Roberts' actions "absolutely unacceptable" and "not the way anyone should treat any animal" but he did not say that Roberts should face criminal charges.
"I would be disappointed if anyone were to paint Wyoming with a broad brush and suggest that Wyoming citizens condone the reckless, thoughtless and heinous actions of one individual," Gordon said.
However, it's unlikely Roberts will face animal cruelty charges as the law was written to exempt predator animals and it's also unlikely lawmakers will update the law to address specific incidents, according to reports.
