An open letter to the Treatment of Predators Working Group,
I believe some of you care more about Wyoming’s predators than you’ve shown. I urge you to speak up at the next meeting on Sept. 4. Wyoming’s wildlife and reputation need urgent action to address the Daniel wolf issue and reconsider the use of motorized vehicles to maim, torture and kill predators. The current treatment of these animals is unacceptable and disturbing, and it seems that some wildlife managers aim for their total annihilation.
I watched your Casper meeting and found it to be a sham. Only two in-person speakers were allowed a brief two minutes each and were met with hostility, while morning speakers had unlimited time. Online participants were overlooked, raising doubts about the claimed technical issues. If Donal O’Toole’s testimony as a veterinary pathologist, detailing severe animal cruelty, did not move you, something is seriously wrong.
It’s clear your working group is dominated by pre-determined decisions from agency representatives, limiting citizen input and wasting taxpayer money on ineffective meetings. The public expected the task force to address the issue of “yote whacking” or “coyote mashing” as a sport, and to end all wildlife cruelty, not just for profit-driven species. Cruelty is cruelty, regardless of the animal.
Don’t wait for out-of-state animal rights groups to intervene. Wyoming’s reputation is already tarnished by its treatment of animals. These groups have nothing to lose, but we do. Please listen to local voices advocating for change. I hope your actions at the next meeting will be more positive and productive.
Suzanne Luhr, Laramie, Wyo.
