Doxing a Wolf Killer

DOXING is the act of gathering and publicly publishing private or identifying information about a person online without their consent, typically to harass, shame, or harm them.

Over the span of hours, a man named Cody Roberts terrorized a young female Yellowstone wolf who had wandered outside Park boundaries by:

– relentlessly chasing her in his snowmobile
– overtaking, slamming into, and severely injuring her
– taping her mouth shut & transporting her crippled
body home, then to a bar
– parading her around for his cheering friends to
torture, holding her sagging torso & drooping head
up for photos

Finally, he dragged her outside and to the delight of his friends, killed her.

This case sparked international outrage

Is doxing okay in this instance?

All states bordering Yellowstone National Park allow wolf hunting in season on a limited basis.

Wolves sometimes wander over temporarily, sometimes they are lured over with tempting carcasses & gut piles left strategically on the line while hunters with rifles wait a short distance away.

Habituated Park wolves are accustomed to humans and don’t automatically run away.

19 wolves who typically reside in the Park were killed in 2022 – amounting to 20% of the entire YNP wolf population.

This year the famous Mollies Pack – descendants of the original wolves reintroduced from Canada in 1995, including Wolf #1090F, a 12-year old female that is one of the oldest on record – has crossed over into Wyoming.

Hunting season opens mid-September. 

A prominent Social Media Influencer with millions of followers has promised to dox anyone who harms the Mollies pack, going so far to offer a $10,000 reward for outing hunters.

Where do I stand on this matter? A little backstory should make it obvious.

I have  driven under the Yellowstone Arch literally hundreds of times as a wildlife photographer. Week after week, summer after summer. Stalking wolves and bears with a camera, sunrise to sunset. The thrill is indescribable.

Below is a 2-minute 48-second video of a fairly recent wolf encounter, 2021.

It was early morning, still semi-dark. I was driving Lamar Valley and this yearling – about the same age as the tortured wolf above – started parallel-loping alongside my car.

I kept darting ahead, pulling off the road and jumping out to photograph him.

When the wolf sauntered past I would hasten on to the next pullout and wait for him to catch up.

At one point the wolf turned and started slowly advancing straight toward me, curious, up to within about 10-15 yards, eyes locked on mine. 

I realized later that Tzuri – always with me in the car –  was the attraction as she still had the lingering scent of just having been in estrus.

I love wolves & wildlife, is the point, and am no fan of trophy hunters or animal abusers.

🙂 🙂 🙂