It would be easy to dismiss the gathering considering the small crowd.
About 30 people were spread out close to the Babcock Theater’s stage on a Tuesday night in May. Yet the three speakers for the anti-trapping forum in Billings were discussing themes that have become more commonplace in a state once hailed for its progressive wildlife management.
“It seems like our current policies are not reflecting the views of Montanans, and that’s a problem,” said Jeff Ewelt, executive director of ZooMontana. “We have to figure out how we can make a difference, how we can be louder and how can we make sure we get in the ears and the eyes of those legislators, because obviously there’s a disconnect there that we need to fix.”
A loosening of Montana hunting and trapping regulations in 2021 that allow the take of more wolves by an individual using more methods has united anti-trapping groups and conservationists in calls for management changes.
Wolf killing
The Billings forum, organized by the anti-trapping group Footloose Montana, took place only weeks following a particularly disturbing incident a Wyoming man’s live capture of a wolf after running it over with a snowmobile. The wolf, injured but still alive, had its snout taped shut before being taken to a bar, photographed and then shot. The man was fined $250 by the state’s wildlife department for possessing a live animal.
People are also reading…
The incident has drawn international criticism of wildlife management in Wyoming, as well as brought greater attention to an anti-predator bias among some western lawmakers and wildlife commissioners.
“How we treat our animals and wilderness is how we will eventually treat each other,” said Brad Orsted, a Jardine-based wildlife filmmaker and author, who was also featured on the Billings panel. “When we lose respect for living, breathing creatures it’s a short hop to humans.”
