Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Boebert jokes about shooting wolf pups and turning them into little hats in ‘vile’ resurfaced clip

Ms Boebert wrote a letter critising an effort to potentially re-add the grey wolf on the endangered species list

Graig Graziosi
Monday 07 March 2022 21:47 GMT
Comments
Congresswoman Lauren Boebert jokes about shooting wolf pups and making “little hats” with them during a Florida camapaign event
Congresswoman Lauren Boebert jokes about shooting wolf pups and making “little hats” with them during a Florida camapaign event (screengrab)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert was recorded joking about shooting wolf pups to make "little hats" out of them.

The clip of Ms Boebert, who was speaking at an event for Representative Anthony Sabatini of Florida's re-election campaign, went viral.

The video was originally posted by the Twitter account Patriot Takes but the event occurred in February.

Ms Boebert recalled discussing the delisting of grey wolves from the endangered species list, and noted that they were being reintroduced to her district.

She said when she first arrived in Congress she was speaking with Congressman Matt Gaetz, and he asked her what some of the "top issues" are in Colorado.

"And I said, 'well gosh, I guess at a state level, they just brought wolves into my district. We delisted these suckers and now they're bringing them in," she said.

"[Mr Gaetz] is like 'oh Boebert the wolves. They're so cute. The pups they're [so cute]. What are you gonna do? You could go in there with your glock and get us a baby.' "Make a little hat."

One user called Ms Boebert "vile," while another demanded she "learn about how animals contribute and are important to an eco system and how you Boebert ARE NOT IMPORTANT."

Ms Boebert was discussing the delisting of the grey wolf from the endangered species list, a move made during former President Donald Trump's administration.

That move was met with condemnation from conservationists, who said the grey wolves had just barely recovered from their near-extinction status when Mr Trump stripped them of their protections.

Ranchers in Colorado supported the move, as it allowed them to hunt and kill wolves that might otherwise threaten their livestock. One of Ms Boebert's top 20 donors for 2021 and 2022 is and individual or PAC linked to Bear Mountain Ranch, which has 50 head of cattle on its land and gave $5,600 in donations.

Ms Boebert also penned a letter criticising the US Fish and Wildlife Service for launching a review of the wolves' status to determine whether the animals should be re-added to the protected species list.

“Radical special-interest groups are wasting resources by forcing the Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct reviews of a species that is thriving and already fully recovered. This move is extremist enviros’ first step to relist gray wolves as an endangered species and reinstate the federal government’s one-size-fits-all micromanagement of our farmers, ranchers, and state and local officials," she wrote. "Bureaucrats in D.C. shouldn’t interfere with local conservation efforts that are more than capable of managing the species effectively while also protecting livestock. An Endangered Species Act designation is not in the best interests of Colorado.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in