Wyoming may be one of the most dangerous states in the nation for wildlife.
It’s the 48th worst for anti-cruelty laws for domestic animals and rated one of the worst for archaic trapping regulations.
And the number of reported trapping incidents this year has proven that our state has literally become a “gut pile” of dead animals because of
indiscriminate killing in almost any manner.
The Recent Faces of Trapping
It seems that Wyoming can’t manage its insatiable urge to control wildlife by allowing hunting and trapping for fun and trophies. We trap and hunt our furbearers without quotas. We shoot, trap, run over with snowmobiles (yote whackin’) our predatory animals every single day of the year. Any method of killing is legal. Traps legally set on trails kill our pets, wildlife and non-target wildlife without any accountability. Add increasing numbers of coyote and predator killing contests (CKC’s) which award prizes for killing the mangiest mutt or biggest ‘yote using semi-automatic weapons and assault weapons with silencers. Included are migratory birds that are caught as non-targets in traps and are killed and illegally used as bait to kill more of the non-target birds and animals which may add up to 10’s of thousands annually. Add the annual slaughter by Wildlife Services (USDA) with snares, M-44 cyanide capsules, traps, and firearms from aircraft (dangerous games of target practice) and human-caused mortalities which include wildlife management control actions.
This year has been one of the busiest years in Wyoming trapping incident reports, and the most brutal. We’ve summarized a few of these for review.
Dec 3, 2016
- Three bobcats were killed illegally in Douglas, WY during a coyote killing contest.
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Jan 6, 2017
- A husky mix was caught in a leghold trap 15 feet off a Trail in Jelm, WY.
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March 19, 2017
- Two dogs were killed by M-44’s (cyanide bombs) near Casper, WY while family was out for pleasant walk.
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June 5, 2017
- A grizzly bear was reported dragging a Conibear caught on its fron paw in the Bridger Teton National Forest.
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July 24, 2017
- Lucy was caught in a conibear set in a private lake for muskrats.
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Nov 12, 2017
- Soldier, an Australian Shepherd mix, was caught in a snare in Strawberry Canyon in the Bridger Teton National Forest. The killing snare was roughly 15 yards off the road in thick brush and so tight around the dog’s neck, it almost suffocated.
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Dec 2, 2017
- Illegal traps were reported in the Snake River Canyon, baited with migratory birds and indiscriminate non-target catches.
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Jan 18, 2018
- A pet great pyrenees was strangled in a bobcat snare during a family outing in Star Valley.
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Jan 20, 2018
- A trapper found a female mountain lion in his leghold trap set for a bobcat in Tensleep.
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Jan 30, 2018
- Golden eagle was caught in a leghold trap in Rock Springs, Wy.
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Feb 11, 2018
- A beloved pet, Chet, was caught in a rusted leghold trap in Dubois, WY.
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In Wyoming, our wildlife management agency rejects WU’s recommended course of action for trapping reform because, with little or no evidence, it is believed that modern-day reform will lead to a chain reaction resulting in an undesirable end or ends for trapping. The wildlife management decisions continue to be based on this slippery slope argument, even with overwhelming opposition, state and nationwide, to meet the demands of a rapidly increasing wildlife-watching trend on our public lands while hunting is on a steady decline for the foreseeable future.
Our Wyoming and the national public are demanding the shift that will redefine conservation to the core, to write and promote a new narrative for a modern-day approach to wildlife management to protect and preserve:
- Wildlife as valued contributors to the health of our landscapes.
- The significant impact of wildlife watching on tourism- Wyoming’s 2nd largest industry.
- The intrinsic character and worth of all furbearing animals.
Wyoming needs the leadership and courage to shift beyond being one of the most dangerous states in the nation for our living animals. Wildlife deserves better!
T Kroll
Please ban all trapping. It is inhumane, cruel and unnecessary. Humans have literally quit wearing fur. To kill for the sake of killing makes no sense.
Gordon Stevens
I agree. Stop senseless killing and trapping in Wyoming