Congress: Stop Snowmobiles From Being Used to Kill Wolves

America’s public lands are supposed to represent our best values — places of stewardship, conservation, and respect for the wild animals who belong there. But today, a disturbing loophole in federal law still allows people to use snowmobiles and other motor vehicles as weapons to intentionally injure and kill wolves, coyotes, and other native wildlife on public lands.

A heartbreaking case in Wyoming brought urgent national attention to this cruelty.

On or around February 29, 2024, a man named Cody Roberts struck a gray wolf with a snowmobile near Daniel, Wyoming. Reports indicate the wolf was badly injured, transported into a local bar to be paraded and displayed by Roberts, and later killed behind the establishment. The shocking nature of this incident sparked widespread outrage across the country — and underscored just how vulnerable wildlife can be when acts of violence are not clearly prohibited or punished.

This is not about legitimate hunting traditions or responsible wildlife management. It is about preventing deliberate, intentional acts of abuse that have no place on lands owned by all Americans.

That’s why members of Congress have introduced the bipartisan Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons (SAW) Act, which would make it illegal to use snowmobiles and other motor vehicles to chase down, injure, or kill wildlife on lands managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The SAW Act would close a dangerous enforcement gap and send a clear message: cruelty is not recreation, and wildlife should never be treated as disposable targets.

Wolves play an essential role in healthy ecosystems, and most Americans — across political lines — agree that running down animals with vehicles is unacceptable and inhumane.

Congress has a clear opportunity to act with compassion and common sense.

Please add your name today to urge lawmakers to pass the SAW Act and ensure that our public lands remain places of conservation, not cruelty.

Sign the petition now and tell Congress: Snowmobiles are not weapons.

The petition to Congress reads: We urge Congress to pass the bipartisan Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons (SAW) Act to prohibit the intentional use of snowmobiles and other motor vehicles to injure or kill wolves, coyotes, and other native wildlife on America’s public lands. The killing of a gray wolf on or around February 29, 2024, in Wyoming highlighted a dangerous loophole that allows acts of cruelty with little clear federal accountability. Please act swiftly to close this gap, protect wildlife from vehicle-based violence, and ensure public lands are managed with basic standards of humane stewardship.
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Sources:

https://hoyle.house.gov/media/press-releases/hoyle-lawler-dingell-fitzpatrick-introduce-saw-act-to-ban-snowmobile-based-wolf-hunting-on-federal-lands

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/22/us/wyoming-wolf-killed-animal-cruelty.html