Wyoming Senate committee backs bill removing otters from statutory "protected" list after extended debate

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Senate Committee of the Whole on Feb. 12 voted to report House Bill 45 with a favorable recommendation, a measure that would remove river otters from a statutory list of protected animals and reclassify them as nongame species under state Game and Fish authority.

Supporters, including sponsor Senator Gregg Landon, said the change would give the Wyoming Game and Fish Department more flexibility to manage local conflicts between otters and private fish ponds and would not itself authorize hunting or trapping. "All we're doing is putting these otters in a situation where our Game and Fish Department can better manage them and perhaps relocate an otter or two if that situation ever arises," Landon said.

Opponents and several senators pressed for more population data and warned the statutory change could be a first step…