by Carolyn Hall, Whitefish
It is fitting that a Montana woman was cited on Oct. 27 for animal cruelty for shooting and skinning a 6-month-old Siberian husky. This was a derelict and inhumane action and the law must speak.
The dog, who had been abandoned on national forest land, was shot by a woman who posted a slew of graphic bloody photographs on her Facebook page that all include her posing with a big smile next to the pup’s bloodstained and splayed carcass.
“I just smoked a wolf pup,” is what she posted. She later admitted she thought it was a “hybrid” that was “going to eat me.”
Also in the news this month are dozens of wild horses that have each been shot in the head and heart in both Arizona and Utah, despite their being federally protected under the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act; six grey wolves of the Wedge pack in northeastern Washington were recently found dead from intentional poisoning with a similar case in Oregon where eight wolves died.
We know that malicious violence toward animals is often a predictor of a broader pathology, including violent instincts to act against our fellow citizens. Congress has a chance to address the federal capacity to crack down on violence on our federal lands and violations of our federal laws by passing the Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act. This bill would create an Animal Cruelty Crimes section at the Dept of Justice so these crimes can be investigated and prosecuted as warranted.
Written on behalf of Animal Wellness Action State Directors in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, Maine, and Wisconsin