Wildlife board member in bobcat incident resigns

Trapper Tracy Truman, criticized by some county commissioners after posting a video of his dog barking and lunging at a trapped bobcat, has resigned from the Clark County Advisory Board to Manage Wildlife.

In an email to board members Wednesday, Truman wrote that he received an offer from a sportsmen's group to work on a new program.

"In the interest of fairness, I can't stay gainfully employed, raise 6 kids, be a husband, be at all the kids' sporting events, keep a busy church assignment, and give the (board) the time and attention that it deserves," Truman wrote.

He does not mention the bobcat video in his letter to the board, which is made up of ranchers, farmers and sportsmen who make recommendations on wildlife matters to the Nevada Wildlife Board.

Truman recommended Rachel Anderson, who has a lengthy fishing, hunting, trapping and wildlife history, as a potential replacement. He attached her resume to his email.

County Manager Don Burnette emailed commissioners Wednesday that they are now tasked with appointing Truman's replacement within 60 days, according to state law. The county is accepting applications to fill the seat.

The County Commission delayed discussing the appointment at its meeting this week after county counsel Mary-Anne Miller said a request for prosecution had been submitted to the district attorney's office over the video.

It was unclear where the prosecution request originated. Gina Greisen, president of Nevada Voters for Animals, had asked the district attorney's office to hold the file so new District Attorney Steve Wolfson could review it. Greisen denied asking for Truman to be prosecuted.

The video, shot in December in the Spring Mountains, shows a bobcat trapped by one leg. Truman's hand appears in the video holding part of a chain attached to the trap while his dog barks at the bobcat, which takes a few swipes at the dog. Truman, a 40-year trapper, is heard encouraging the dog and saying, "Get him, boy," as he pulls on the chain. The animals never make contact with each other in the minute-long video.

Truman has said it was an educational tool meant to show other trappers a dog doesn't have to make contact with a trapped animal. Animal rights activists reposted the video without Truman's permission; it was taken down after Truman complained of copyright infringement.

Commissioner Tom Collins, who reappointed Truman, said he tried to talk him out of resigning. Truman wrote him a personal note of his resignation on Feb. 17, four days before the commission meeting.

"There's a reason for trapping. As long as we continue to disturb the balance of nature, we have to continue to control and manage wildlife," Collins said.

Greisen said the issue is bigger than Truman's video, and she is working to ban trapping throughout the county.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife conducted its own investigation and sent those results as part of its protocol to the district attorney's office. It will take one to two weeks to review the report.