Environmental group calls for prosecution of Idaho trapper who accidentally killed wolverine

The trap that killed a wolverine in Idaho in late December may have been illegal, and an environmental group wants the trapper prosecuted.

The Center for Biological Diversity is asking the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to prosecute the trapper for failing to have a stop. In a letter sent to Fish and Game on Jan. 16, the Center said, “we request that IDFG take enforcement action against this trapper for failure to include a stop on this snare.”

“We’re asking them to enforce their own regulations and also asking them to reconsider whether it makes sense to allow trapping in wolverine habitat,” said Andrea Santarsiere a staff attorney for the organization.

IDFG said it will not prosecute the trapper.

“We investigated it and no citation was issued,” said Roger Phillips, a spokesman for Fish and Game. “That trapping was self-reported by the trapper in accordance with state law.”

Wolverines have been protected from hunting or trapping in Idaho since 1965. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been considering whether to federally protect the ferocious animal since 2010.

It’s estimated that between 250 and 318 wolverines live in the Western U.S.

Wolverines have been reported in 34 of Idaho’s 44 counties, according to a 2014-19 IDFG management plan.

The Center for Biological Diversity sent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service a copy of the letter they sent IDFG. The environmental organization discovered that there was no snare stop through a public records request.