Tuesday, January 22, 2013

War on Wolves In The Rockies

defenders.org

It’s the most powerful weapon anti- wolf advocates have. It will happen so quickly they won’t have a second to escape. Idaho’s wolves could soon be gunned down from the sky — and we need to fight this now!

“It” is the federal government. Specifically all the wildlife-killing resources of the federal Wildlife Services agency – people and planes or helicopters.

Last year, Idaho called in Wildlife Services to kill wolves in the central part of the state to artificially boost game populations in the region – and it appears that they’re planning on doing it again.

Today, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission approved a proposal to pay Wildlife Services $50,000 to launch a new round of wolf killing – which could include aerial gunning of wolves under the excuse of artificially inflating elk herds to make hunting them easier. This death-by-helicopter or airplane plan is misguided and wrong!

Our work to save wolves and other wildlife is unique and ambitious — and so is our goal – help us raise $100,000 to ensure that we can continue to fight for Idaho’s wolves and other wildlife.
Idaho Fish and Game officials have a completely unproven theory – that wiping out entire packs of wolves in elk country will help hunters be more successful in killing elk.

We’ve seen no evidence to support this likely aerial slaughter, and no reason for President Obama and his Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to approve it. Instead, it’s just one more excuse to treat wolves as vermin, rather than the magnificent creatures that they are, and to completely ignore their rightful place in the ecosystem.

More than 400 wolves have been killed in Idaho in the past year:
 
Recruiting and mobilizing grassroots wolf supporters to speak out against this wildlife travesty.
Convincing the Obama administration and Congress to rein in Wildlife Services and stop wasting resources on pointless efforts to kill wolves to appease anti-wolf hunters.
Coordinating efforts with other groups fighting for wolf conservation.
Reaching out to the media to evoke public outrage over this senseless proposal.
Serving as a watchdog to monitor this and other anti-wolf proposals in the Idaho legislature.
Supporting our coexistence work – our work on the ground with ranchers has saved countless wolves by protecting livestock with non-lethal deterrents.

These efforts, of course, are in addition to our tireless work to protect wolves in neighboring states, including Wyoming and Montana.

Jamie Rappaport Clark
President
Defenders of Wildlife

Idaho Wolf by Alex Clarke

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