Looming Wyoming feral livestock law holds owners more accountable

Thinking about letting your yaks run wild or abandoning a horse that’s no longer useful? Better think twice starting in July. That’s when a new law takes effect in Wyoming that holds owners accountable for livestock that they turn loose. Under the law, ranchers and farmers who repeatedly refuse to take possession of their livestock must pay for the costs of rounding up the animals, feeding them, providing veterinary service and transporting them back. They’re also liable for any damage their animals cause. Livestock owners who don’t pay up face up to six months in jail and a $750 fine for a first offense, and double those penalties for repeat offenses. The law, signed by Gov. Matt Mead in February, came out of concerns about increasing numbers of Wyoming residents turning loose old or infirm horses, as well as a controversy last year about a Johnson County rancher who repeatedly let his herd of yaks wander off onto the land of neighboring ranchers...more