ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED
BILL NO. HB0275
ENROLLED ACT NO. 46, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 GENERAL SESSION
1
AN ACT relating to crimes and offenses; providing a
misdemeanor offense and amending the offense of felony
animal cruelty to address actions where wildlife is reduced
to possession; prohibiting the torture of wildlife as
specified; specifying the required treatment of certain
wildlife; specifying penalties; providing for license
revocation and suspension and forfeiture of devices and
equipment for specified convictions; clarifying trapping
requirements; removing a reporting requirement; providing
definitions; making conforming amendments; and providing
for an effective date.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1. W.S. 6-3-1001(a) by creating new
paragraphs (iv) through (vi), 6-3-1004 by creating a new
subsection (c), 6-3-1005(a)(intro), (i), (ii), by creating
a new paragraph (iii) and by creating a new subsection (c),
23-3-103(a) and by creating new subsections (d) and (e),
23-3-306 by creating a new subsection (j) and
23-6-206(a)(intro) and (iii) are amended to read:
6-3-1001. Definitions.
(a) As used in this article:
(iv) "Predacious bird" means as defined in W.S.
23-1-101(a)(vii);
(v) "Predatory animal" means as defined in W.S.
23-1-101(a)(viii); ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED
BILL NO. HB0275
ENROLLED ACT NO. 46, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 GENERAL SESSION
2(vi) "Wildlife" means as defined in W.S.
23-1-101(a)(xiii). "Wildlife" shall not include amphibians,
crustaceans, fish, mollusks and reptiles.
6-3-1004. Penalties; misdemeanor offenses.
(c) A first offense of cruelty to animals under W.S.
6-3-1005(a)(iii) and 23-3-103(d) is a misdemeanor
punishable by imprisonment for not more than six (6)
months, a fine of not more than five thousand dollars
($5,000.00), or both. The person shall also be subject to
revocation and suspension of licenses and privileges as
provided in W.S. 6-3-1005(c) and 23-3-103(d).
6-3-1005. Felony cruelty to animals; penalty.
(a)
paragraph (a)(iii) of this section a person commits felony
cruelty to animals if the person:
(i) Commits cruelty to animals as defined in
W.S. 6-3-1002(a)(v) through (ix), that results in the death
or required euthanasia of the animal;
(ii) Knowingly, and with intent to cause death
or undue suffering, beats with cruelty, tortures, torments
or mutilates an animal; or
(iii) Knowingly, and with intent to cause undue
suffering, tortures, torments or mutilates living wildlife,
including predatory animals and predacious birds, after
reducing the living wildlife to possession. For purposes of
this paragraph: ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED
BILL NO. HB0275
ENROLLED ACT NO. 46, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 GENERAL SESSION
3 (A) The immediate killing of living
wildlife reduced to possession shall not be a violation of
this paragraph;
(B) Nothing in this paragraph shall be
construed to require an owner of a trap or snare to check
the trap or snare before the time required in title 23 of
the Wyoming statutes and rules promulgated by the game and
fish commission. Wildlife discovered in a snare or trap
shall be considered within the possession of the owner of
the snare or trap upon discovery by the owner;
(C) A first offense of cruelty to animals
under this paragraph and W.S. 23-3-103(d) is a misdemeanor
punishable as provided in W.S. 6-3-1004(c). A second or
subsequent offense under this paragraph or W.S. 23-3-103(d)
is punishable as provided by subsections (b) and (c) of
this section.
(c) Upon a conviction of a first or subsequent
violation of paragraph (a)(iii) of this section and W.S.
23-3-103(d) and in addition to any penalty specified in
subsection (b) of this section, the court may revoke any
license issued under title 23 of the Wyoming statutes and
suspend a person's privilege to purchase or receive any
other license as specified in title 23 of the Wyoming
statutes or to take any wildlife under W.S.
23-6-206(a)(iii).
23-3-103. Taking predatory animals, predacious birds
and trophy animals; taking furbearing animals and game
birds without license prohibited.
(a) Predatory animals and predacious birds may be
taken without a license in any manner and at any time ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED
BILL NO. HB0275
ENROLLED ACT NO. 46, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 GENERAL SESSION
4
except as provided by W.S. 23-2-303(d)
and (e), 23-3-112, 23-3-304(b), 23-3-305, 23-3-306(b) and
23-3-307,. The department shall report annually to the
Wyoming department of agriculture the number of predatory
animals and predacious birds taken by the department's
animal damage control agents, and include in the report the
area where taken and the control method used
any predatory animal or predacious bird reduced to
possession shall be promptly killed or released subject to
subsection (d) of this section.
(d) No person shall knowingly, and with intent to
cause undue suffering, torture, torment or mutilate living
wildlife, including predatory animals and predacious birds,
after reducing the living wildlife to possession. A person
violating this subsection shall be liable under W.S.
6-3-1004(c) for a first offense and under W.S.
6-3-1005(a)(iii), (b) and (c) for a second or subsequent
offense. Upon any conviction of a violation of this
subsection the court may revoke any license issued under
this act and suspend a person's privilege to purchase or
receive any other license under this act or to take any
wildlife as provided under W.S. 23-6-206(a)(iii). For
purposes of this subsection, "wildlife" means as defined by
W.S. 6-3-1001(a)(vi).
(e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to
require an owner of a trap or snare to check the trap or
snare before the time required in title 23 of the Wyoming
statutes and rules promulgated by the game and fish
commission. Wildlife discovered in a snare or trap shall be
considered within the possession of the owner of the snare
or trap upon discovery by the owner. ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED
BILL NO. HB0275
ENROLLED ACT NO. 46, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 GENERAL SESSION
523-3-306. Use of aircraft, automobiles, motorized and
snow vehicles and artificial light for hunting or fishing
prohibited; exceptions; penalties.
(j) Any person who pursues a predatory animal or
predacious bird by use of any vehicle or other conveyance
specified in subsection (a) of this section and injures or
incapacitates the predatory animal or predacious bird shall
make a reasonable effort to immediately kill the injured or
incapacitated animal. This subsection shall not apply to
governmental agencies or their employees, contractors or
designees while using any aircraft to perform their lawful
duties. As used in this subsection, "incapacitate" means
injury or a state of physical exhaustion to the point the
animal has ceased to attempt to elude the vehicle or other
conveyance.
23-6-206. Revocation of license; hunting after
suspended license.
(a) The court may, in its discretion, revoke any
license issued under this act to any person convicted of a
violation of this act , for the
remainder of the year in which the conviction occurs, and
may suspend the person's privilege to purchase or receive
any other license under this act, or to take any wildlife
for the following time periods provided in paragraphs (i)
through (iii) and shall suspend the person's privilege to
purchase or receive any other license under this act for
the time period provided in paragraph (iv) of this
subsection:
(iii) Up to three (3) years for conviction of a
low misdemeanor as provided in W.S. 23-6-202(a)(v) ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED
BILL NO. HB0275
ENROLLED ACT NO. 46, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 GENERAL SESSION
6
conviction of a violation of W.S. 6-3-1005(a)(iii) or
23-3-103(d);
Section 2. This act is effective July 1, 2025.
(END)
Speaker of the HousePresident of the SenateGovernorTIME APPROVED: _________DATE APPROVED: _________
I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.
Chief Clerk