10 Wolf Pups Slaughtered In Wyoming By Wildlife Services….SHAME ON THEM!!

June 30, 2012

Wyoming is killing wolf pups right along with their parents. Ten pups have been killed  so far, sixteen wolves in all. One alpha pair, (mother and father wolves), were wiped out along with their six pups for the death of  just ONE LAMB at Dempsey Creek. Now another wolf pack of eight, including their pups have been slaughtered in Cody, Wyoming by the Wildlife Services goons, on the orders of USFWS.  The death toll stands at sixteen dead wolves….ten pups, six adults.

Ed Bangs is in charge, he is the Western gray wolf recovery coordinator, (that’s a laugh, wolf recovery). Wolves are still listed as endangered in Wyoming but they might as well have zero protection because the USFWS is carrying out a shadow wolf hunt in Wyoming.  How extremely brutal and misguided. What type of people kill puppies? If these poor animals weren’t wolf pups but say domestic dog  pups, the people  responsible for their slaughter would be in jail for animal cruelty. But because it’s the federal government USFWS, they can order our native carnivores killed, their pups slaughtered and get away with it.

Did they beat the pups over the head, did they shoot them, did they drown them, did they bury them alive?  How do you kill two month old puppies? Did they kill them in front of their parents or did their parents have to watch in horror as their babies were brutally murdered?

This is a two month old wolfdog puppy. The wolf pups killed were about this age.

Is the USFWS working for the ranchers in Wyoming? Why aren’t these ranchers using pro-active measures, which means sound animal husbandry practices to deter predation?  The answer is simple, they don’t have to. All they have to do is pick up the phone and call USFWS and have them unleash the Wildlife Services death squad  to kill wolves for them.

It’s apparent USFWS is not going to require ranchers to use any precautionary measures. They’re just going to kill wolves, that’s their plan, with no regard to the damage they do to wolves. It’s all about cattle and sheep. These people should not be managing wolves when all they seem to care about is the livestock industry.  I wouldn’t trust them to water my plants let alone manage wolves.

Quote From the Jackson Hole News and Guide:

“Solutions proposed by conservation groups, such as using flagging and guard dogs to scare wolves, won’t work in some open-range situations, Jimenez said. Killing wolves is the only solution, he said.”

So there you have it. They are just going to kill wolves. Great management plan. Nice job USFWS.

EIGHT WOLVES, INCLUDING TWO ADULTS AND SIX PUPS WERE KILLED FOR ONE LAMB.  SIXTEEN WOLVES ARE DEAD, TWO ENTIRE  WOLF PACKS, TEN  PUPS SLAUGHTERED.

We have to stand up to this cold-blooded killing. Please write to the USFWS to express your outrage over the killing of entire wolf families for agribusiness. Write to the governor of Wyoming.

Apparently USFWS is flexing their muscles in Wyoming, letting everyone know that even if wolves are relisted by Judge Molloy, USFWS will continue its war on wolves.

Do not buy any products from Wyoming businesses that support the jihad against wolves. This has to stop. These are your tax dollars people  being used to kill PUPPIES!! SPEAK OUT!!  THE WORST WE CAN DO IS NOTHING!!

STAND UP FOR WOLVES.!!!!!!

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Wolf pups slain after packs kill livestock

By Angus M. Thuermer Jr., Jackson Hole, Wyo.

June 30, 2010

 

http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=6154

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Eight wolves killed in SW Wyoming because of the death of just one lamb

June 27, 2010 — Ralph Maughan

Two adult wolves and six pups killed by Wildlife Services in an area with just one confirmed wolf depredation, a mere lamb-

http://wolves.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/8-wolves-killed-for-one-domestic-lamb/

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More Puppy Killing In Alaska!!

Wildlife biologists kill 14 wolf pups on Alaska Peninsula

PREDATOR CONTROL: Controversial move meant to help caribou.The Associated Press

Published: July 20th, 2008 02:39 AM
Last Modified: July 20th, 2008 01:01 AM

http://www.adn.com/2008/07/20/469720/wildlife-biologists-kill-14-wolf.html#ixzz103XyJl6a

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CONTACT USFWS:

Ed Bangs (406)449-5225 x204 or Ed_Bangs@FWS.GOV

Mike Jimenez (307)733-7096 or (307)330-5631 or Mike_Jimenez@FWS.GOV

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Contact Governor Matt Mead

http://governor.wy.gov/contactUs/Pages/default.aspx

Photo: wolf pup, top of page: Courtesy Defenders of Wildlife

Posted in: Wyoming wolves, Wolf Wars

Tags: Wyoming,  wolf pups slaughtered,  USFWS, war on wolves

Man Found Guilty Of Killing A Wolf In Michigan

With all the wolf killing the feds and states do, it seems surreal when someone is actually convicted of illegally killing a wolf.  It’s almost hypocritical. No way do I think the agencies that manage wolves in the Northern Rockies give one whit about one wolves life but in Michigan they are still listed. There are approx. 600 wolves in Michigan, more then the huge state of Montana.  It’s still a crime to kill a wolf in Michigan. If Judge Molloy relists wolves in the Northern Rockies, it will be illegal here once again.

Well finally a little retribution for one wolf, out of the hundreds of gray wolves that were slaughtered in the name of livestock and blood lust in the Northern Rockies, even though the arrest happened in Michigan. 

This could be you wolf haters if wolves in the Northern Rockies are relisted.

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Gladwin Man Found Guilty of Illegally Killing Wolf

Posted: 06.29.2010 at 2:49 PM

A Gladwin man is sentenced for illegally killing a gray wolf in the Upper Peninsula.

Michael Greaves, 47, was found guilty and ordered to pay $500 in fines and costs, along with $1,500 in restitution. His hunting privileges were also suspended for one year.

Greaves was sentenced June 15 in St. Ignace.

The charges were the result of a joint investigation between the Department of Natural Resources and Environment’s Law Enforcement Division conservation officers and detectives and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s special agents.

DNRE Wildlife Division Personnel received a mortality signal during the Upper Peninsula’s 2009 muzzleloading deer season from the collar that was attached to the wolf. The wolf was recovered by DNRE Wildlife Division and Law Enforcement Division personnel, and the forensic examination was subsequently conducted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon.

A conviction for the illegal killing of a gray wolf could result in a maximum of 90 days in jail, a fine of $1000, and reimbursement of $1500.

Conservation officers remind the public to report any information regarding the illegal killing of a wolf to the Report All Poaching Hotline at 1-800-292-7800.

http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=476397

Photo: Courtesy Ron Niebragg

Posted in: graywolf/canis lupus, wolf poaching, Wolf Wars

Tags: crime, wolf killing, poaching

I Am Wolf…

 

I am wolf. I speak to you for my species. Please stop killing us.

We have walked this earth for thousands of years. We want to live in peace and raise our families. If we occasionally kill livestock it’s because we are hungry and you make it so easy. Nobody is guarding the cows and sheep. We are hunters and so we hunt. You kill billions of animals every year for food yet you blame us for a a few dozen cows?

People chase us with guns and shoot us. They use nasty traps that hurt our legs. Once in Alaska, one of our kind, a mother wolf, was stuck in a leg hold trap for fourteen days, she was so hungry her teeth were broken from eating rocks. Would you like to have your leg or arm stuck in a trap so you couldn’t get away? Then after you have been stuck for days or even weeks, with your family surrounding you but helpless to set you free, someone comes and shoots you?

You make us orphans to starve or kill us with our parents. You chase us in helicopter gun ships, we run for our lives but we can’t get away. Your shotguns riddle us with buckshot. We cry and howl in pain, then we die.This is wrong.We would never treat you this way.

 We are wild, we don’t understand your rules. We can’t read signs or understand your boundaries. We are driven by hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. What we do is in our genes. We were put on this earth to keep ungulate herds healthy. We mean you no harm. Please stop killing our families. There is room on this land for both of us. You only have to find a place in your heart for us to dwell.

I am wolf…

 

June 27, 2010 

Nabeki

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Photo: Courtesy Jason Hahn 2007

Posted in: gray wolf/canis lupus

Tags: wolf plea, wolves suffering, wolf pup

ODFW Extends Wolf Kill Permit Two More Months…..

May 2010 recording of the Imnaha wolf pack howling.  Click link below to listen.

wolves-holwing-4_08_102.mov

Courtesy Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Well so much for progressive thinking in Oregon. Cattle trump wolves again.  The ranchers are whining about six calf depredations when they’ve lost hundreds probably thousands of calves to coyotes, weather, disease. Why aren’t they complaining about that?

I want the figures on cows and calves lost to non-predation and predation other then wolves,  since the beginning of 2010.  The new NASS numbers should be out but won’t cover 2010.  Stop acting like this is a big crisis. I’m sick of it. WOLVES ARE NOT THE PROBLEM. PEOPLE ARE THE PROBLEM!!

Why is Wildlife Services being allowed to relentlessly track two Imnaha wolves for two more months when the last depredation was on June 4, almost a month ago? Let’s hear the reasoning ODFW??  Don’t forget to publish the number of dead cows from other causes.  This is kabuki theater to get wolves killed. SHAME!!! 

Kabuki Theater

Oregon is turning out to be just as hostile to wolves as the rest of the Northern Rockies. How pathetic they can’t co-exist with FOURTEEN WOLVES??? Also the alpha male or father of the Imnaha wolf pack is STILL MISSING. I’m convinced  he’s dead, although I hope I’m wrong.  No way would he stay away from his mate and their pups this long.

BTW, Oregon’s Governor denied a direct appeal to grant clemency to the two wolves Wildlife Services is hunting.  Write to him!

FROM NATURAL OREGON: 

Oregon Wolf Hunt Extended Two More Months, ODFW Defends Its Actions

June 25, 2010

By Dennis Newman

Still missing. The alpha male of the Imnaha pack hasn’t been seen or heard from since May 31st. ODFW photo.

The hunt for two wolves in Wallowa County could last all summer long. That’s the latest word from Oregon Fish and Wildlife.

ODFW is now giving federal agents until the end of August to kill two members of the Imnaha pack. It’s the third time ODFW has extended the hunt.

Also new, ODFW is answering critics in the environmental community who think the agency is violating its own rules, and letting the wolf hunt drag out for too long.

“Chronic Depredation”

ODFW has extended the wolf hunt to stop what it says is “chronic depredation” of livestock in Wallowa County. There are six confirmed cases of wolf kills so far this year, and a few more unconfirmed cases. And even though there haven’t been any new attacks since June 4, ODFW says wolves are still being spotted in the area. In last week’s announcement, ODFW said it believed the wolves were moving away from private land.

Spokesperson Michelle Dennehy says all of this is allowed under the Wolf Management Plan which says wildlife officials can kill wolves to stop repeated attacks on livestock.

Rules Remain The Same

The rules governing the hunt remain the same. USDA Wildlife Services is only allowed to kill wolves without tracking collars. That’s designed to protect the breeding pair of the Imnaha Pack. Both the alpha male and female should be wearing collars. So should three other pack members. That leaves five of the ten member pack vulnerable to being killed.

The hunting is limited to privately owned pasture land near where the earlier attacks took place, and the size of the area where hunting is allowed hasn’t changed since June 9th.

 By the way, the alpha male is still missing. His collar stopped operating May 31st and ODFW has had no contact with him since then.

 Ranchers Are “Cooperating”

 Part of the dispute is about whether ranchers are doing everything they should to prevent wolf attacks. The wolf plan says non-lethal methods must be tried first, before wolves can be killed. The Hells Canyon Preservation Council and Oregon Wild say ranchers could be doing more. For example, they say some ranchers are leaving carcasses out in the open where they attract wolves, when they should be burying them.

 Dennehy says ODFW is getting good cooperation from Wallowa County ranchers. Here’s an excerpt from an e-mail she sent earlier.

 “Yes carcass piles can be a problem but ODFW believes ranchers have been very cooperative in carrying out non-lethal measures. We’ll continue to work with ranchers on non-lethal measures; it’s an ongoing project.”

 “Unfortunately, the non-lethal measures weren’t very effective–we have had six confirmed losses to wolves.”

Environmentalists Say…

 Oregon Wild tells me they’re not surprised by today’s news. Rob Klavins writes…

 The best that can be said now is that at least ODFW is being honest that this is essentially an open-ended kill order that won’t be rescinded until 2 of Oregon’s 14 endangered wolves are killed.  ODFW has violated both the spirit and letter of it’s own Wolf Conservation & Management Plan.  We have reluctantly supported the compromise plan in the belief that it would lead to science-based management of wolves that would only turn to lethal control as an option of last resort.  Trying to “send a message to the pack” through revenge killings weeks later is not science-based management.

 Time Running Out For Wolf Plan Comments

We’re now in our final days to comment on Oregon’s Wolf Plan. It’s undergoing a five year review period. ODFW is taking public comments until June 30, or Wednesday. Email them to ODFW.Comments@state.or.us. It will incorporate those comments into a revised plan that will be released later this summer.

http://www.naturaloregon.org/2010/06/25/oregon-wolf-hunt-extended-for-two-more-months-odfw-defends-its-actions/

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Time To Speak Up For Oregon’s  Wolves

http://www.naturaloregon.org/2010/06/08/time-to-speak-up-for-oregons-wolves/

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Contact: Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski

http://governor.oregon.gov/Gov/contact_us.shtml

OR

“To get a message to the governor contact the office of Mike Carrier, Natural Resources Director: Jo Bell, Executive Assistant, 503-986-6525, jo.l.bell@state.or.us   Assistant to Mike Carrier “

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Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

3406 Cherry Avenue N.E. 

Salem, OR 97303

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ODFW WILDLIFE DIVISION STAFF DIRECTORY

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/agency/directory/wildlife_division.asp

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Main Phone (503) 947-6000 or (800) 720-ODFW [6339]

Comments:  odfw.info@state.or.us

To Enter Your Opinion About This Issue Into Public Record: Contact: odfw.comments@state.or.us

 

Photo: Courtesy ODFW

Photo: Kabuki Courtesy Nihon Daisuki

Posted In: Oregon wolves, Wolf Wars, Ranching and hunting influence

Tags: Imnaha Wolf Pack, wolf intolerence, ODFW bows to ranching pressure

Wolves Practice Teamwork, Are Patient, Cooperative, Playful, Extremely Loyal and Great Communicators!

The Wisdom of Wolves

Wolf Credo

by Del Goetz 1988

•Respect The Elders

•Teach the Young

•Cooperate With The Pack

•Play When You Can

•Hunt When You Must

•Rest In-Between

•Share your affections

•Voice your feelings

•Leave your mark.

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Video: The Wisdom of Wolves:  Courtesy YouTube The Simple Truth

Photo: Courtesy Monty Sloan: Wolf Park

Posted in: Wolf education, biodiversity, gray wolf/canis lupus

Tags: wolves, social animals,  loyalty, cooperation

Help Change Oregon’s Wolf Management Plan, PLEASE COMMENT BY JUNE 30

Oregon Yearling Wolf Killed By Wildlife Services 2009

By guest poster Katie, an Oregon resident and wolf advocate.

June 21, 2010

The Oregon Wolf Management Plan is currently under a 5-year review and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is accepting comments from the public until June 30th. However, before I tell you about the plan and its obstacles, here is a brief history of the Oregon wolves.

In Oregon, the last gray wolf was eradicated from the state by the 1940s. It was almost 60 years before another one was seen. The first wolf to migrate to the state in 1999 was recaptured and sent back to Idaho. In 2000, two more gray wolves made the journey, but sadly they were both killed; one by a car and one by bullet. The fact that wolves were returning was undeniable, so the state decided they needed a plan. The ODFW sat down with wolf advocates and livestock owners to decide what should be done. Though the livestock owners may have gotten more say in the plan, wolf advocates seemed glad to simply be getting wolves back in the state. The result was a wolf management plan that everyone agreed on. Oregon became one of the first states to willingly open the doors for gray wolves to return.

In 2008, a female Idaho wolf was located in Oregon using the signals from her radio collar. The gray wolf was identified as “B-300″. To bring more attention to wolf recovery in Oregon, the members of a local environmental group, called Oregon Wild, nicknamed the wolf “Sophie”. Eventually finding a mate, Sophie soon became the alpha female of the largest pack in Oregon with 10 wolves total; the Imnaha Pack. Another pack of four wolves was also discovered in 2008. Together, the two packs made up Oregon’s known gray wolf population of 14 individuals.

The plan seemed perfect. Wolves were returning and things seemed to be going well. However, in 2009, two yearling wolves were convicted of killing 29 domestic animals from five different incidents. When non-lethal techniques failed, Wildlife Services was sent in and killed both wolves. Personally, I don’t blame the wolves, they were just pups. Being too young to hunt elk, it was either that or starve. They had no known pack and just seemed to have traveled into Oregon from Idaho on their own. It is possible that their family was killed by a rival pack, but I believe it is more likely that they were killed for “management” purposes.

Now, in 2010, history seems to be repeating itself as two more wolves are being targeted by WS. With only 14 known wolves in the entire state, killing two individuals would be a huge loss. ODFW has also issued seven kill permits to local ranchers, which could spell disaster for such a fragile population.

CURRENT PLAN

Oregon current Wolf Management Plan included three phases for population recovery:

PHASE ONE

 “Wolves may be considered for statewide delisting once the population reaches four breeding pairs for three consecutive years in eastern Oregon…. The plan calls for managing wolves in western Oregon as if the species remains listed until the western Oregon wolf population reaches four breeding pairs.”

This means when there are four packs in eastern Oregon and four in western Oregon, wolves will be stripped of ESA protection statewide.

The average gray wolf pack size is about 8 wolves. If packs in Oregon follow the norm, then roughly 64 wolves will be present when they are delisted. A recent study suggests Oregon could support up to 2200 wolves and still maintain a healthy ecosystem. I don’t know about you, but 64 wolves doesn’t sound like recovered to me.

PHASE TWO:

 ”Once the wolf is delisted, more options are available to address wolf-livestock conflict. While there are five to seven breeding pairs, landowners may kill a wolf involved in chronic depredation with a permit. Five to seven breeding pairs is considered the management population objective, or Phase 2.”

Five to seven breeding pairs? Oregon currently has two breeding pairs and seven landowners have been given permits to kill wolves. Again, five to seven breeding pairs is 40-56 wolves if they are the average pack size.

PHASE THREE

“Under Phase 3 a limited controlled hunt could be allowed to decrease chronic depredation or reduce pressure on wild ungulates if confirmed wolf predation leads to declines in localized herds.”

Sound familiar? Idaho and Montana initiated hunts mere months after wolves were delisted. The difference is there were 1500 wolves in Montana and Idaho when the first hunts began. In Oregon the hunt could start with less than 100.

To read the full Oregon Wolf Management Plan, go to http://www.dfw.state.or.us/Wolves/docs/wolf_plan.pdf

As you can see, the Oregon Wolf Management Plan is weak and gives livestock owners plenty of tools to deal with wolf depredation. However, the Oregon Cattle Association wants more power. Since the plan is under a 5-year review, OCA is suggesting changes to the plan that will suit the cattle industry, not wolves.

OCA’S TESTIMONY

1. Delisting rules (combine the whole state and begin delisting when there are 4 breeding pairs statewide)”

Four breeding pairs would be approximately 32 wolves. Even if each pack was as big as Sophie’s that would still only be 40 wolves, which is definitely not recovered.

2. “Relocation, location, and translocation eliminated”

The current management plan allows for “problem” wolves to be relocated to the closest wilderness area. The closest wilderness area is usually where the wolf came from before it found the livestock. This part of the plan needs to be strengthened, not weakened.

3. Ownership of lands ,IE; state lands is the only lands the Oregon ESA has authority on”

They are asking to change Oregon’s ESA. Not only would this be bad for wolves, but it would also allow anyone to shoot any endangered animal if it was on their property. Remember, these are changes they want now, not when the gray wolf population is 60+, but when there are only 14 wolves in Oregon.

To see the full testimony from the Oregon Cattle Association, go to: http://www.oregonwild.org/fish_wildlife/bringing_wolves_back/OCA_Testimony.pdf

To see the testimony from Oregon Wild, a local environmental group, go to: http://www.oregonwild.org/fish_wildlife/bringing_wolves_back/oregon-wild-wolf-plan-review-testimony-3-12.10/

ODFW is currently accepting comments from the public about changes they should make to the plan. ODFW has not said what they are thinking of changing but the first draft is scheduled to be done some time in August. The deadline to comment is June 30th.

Email your comments to ODFW.Comments@state.or.us

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Talking Points:

 1. Make sure to let them know you want the wolf plan STRENGTHENED, not weakened. Tell them eight breeding pairs statewide are NOT enough. Mention the study that states Oregon could support 2200 gray wolves on it’s landscape.

 2. Wildlife officials need more options to relocate wolves. Suggest national or state parks, or larger wilderness areas.

 3. Ranchers need to do everything possible to protect their livestock before any action against wolves is even considered. Suggest proper fencing, fladery, radio collar activated sounds, guardian animals, lambing and calving sheds, frequent patrols of pastures, placing livestock in barns at night, and tracking packs to avoid placing cattle in areas where wolves are known to be.

4. Tell them wolves are more valuable alive than dead, because they are. Support this idea by stating Yellowstone Park makes $7-10 million annually from just wolves (The GYA brings in $35 million wolf generated dollars). Explain the positive impacts wolves have on the environment, like increasing beaver populations (beavers are Oregon’s state animal). Wolves keep ungulates moving, which prevents them from over-browsing vital beaver and songbird habitat. Wolves keep ungulate herds healthy by culling the weak, sick and old.

5. Tell them to increase the funding of the wolf plan. Currently the wolf plan is very underfunded and only has a few members on its management team.

6. If you don’t live in Oregon, you can choose to boycott the state if they weaken the management plan. Tell them you will not buy anything from Oregon or visit the state unless the plan is strengthened. 

7.  Think of the Imnaha wolf pack and how much they need our help. Their exixtence as a pack is in danger. How sad it would be to lose the only breeding pair of wolves in Oregon.

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Don’t forget to email your comments to ODFW and voice your opinion about the Oregon Wolf Management Plan. Comments@state.or.us  

Sources Cited:

http://www.oregonwild.org

http://www.predatorfriendly.org/index.html  

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/Wolves/docs/wolf_plan.pdf  

http://www.oregonwild.org/fish_wildlife/bringing_wolves_back/OCA_Testimony.pdf  

http://www.yellowstonepark.com/MoreToKnow/ShowNewsDetails.aspx?newsid=132 

 

Photo: Courtesy ODFW

Posted in: Oregon wolves, ranching and hunting influence, Wolf Wars

Tags: Oregon wolf management plan, Imnaha pack, cow growers, Take Action For Wolves

Where Is The Imnaha Alpha Male?

Imnaha alpha male 2009 ….Is he dead?

He’s been gone for over three weeks and no sign of  him, his radio collar silent. Is he the victim of ramped up wolf hysteria in Wallowa County, Oregon?  I hope he’s found quickly but it sounds like the Imnaha pack alpha male may have been a victim of  SSS (Shoot, Shovel, Stutup). 

 From My Central Oregon:

The wolf was outfitted in February with a GPS collar that is capable of tracking his whereabouts. Morgan says it’s not uncommon for a radio collar to fail, but another possibility is that the wolf is dead.

After seven wolf kill permits were issued to ranchers over five cow depredations AND Wildlife Services was given two wolf  kill permits which have been extended twice, what did ODFW think was going to happen?

You have lots of people running around with guns. There is whipped up wolf  hysteria, even an effort in the legislature to initiate a state of wolf emergency in Oregon over FOURTEEN WOLVES, is anyone surprised one of the Imnaha alphas may have been targeted?

But wait, we were told by ODFW, that won’t happen, the kill permit only allows ranchers to shoot a wolf caught in the act. I’m sorry but I live in the Northern Rockies and I know how it works. We have a wolf hater’s website talking about killing wolves with Xylitol so it’s not too far a leap to think someone targeted the alpha male, knowing that could destroy the pack.  This will make life a whole lot harder for Sophie (B-300) and her pups, the pups would about two months old now. The Imnaha pack is the ONLY breeding pair in Oregon.

I hope they find the Imnaha alpha male and find him soon. This is not only worrrisome but  if it’s proven he was killed illegally, it’s criminal.

I thought Oregon would be happy to have their wolves back after a sixty year absence but it’s the same old story. A few ranchers are holding the wolf population hostage and they get away with it because fish and game agencies go right along with it.  Does ODFW get upset when ranchers lose calves to weather, disease, reproduction or theft? I don’t see any explosive headlines about those losses. But let a wolf look at livestock cross-eyed and the situation is blown completely out of proportion.  

Oregon’s reputation has taken a hit. If the alpha male is dead, people will remember this for a long, long  time.

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Missing alpha male wolf concerns ODFW

June 19, 2010    02:27 pm

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife says the alpha male is missing from Oregon’s only confirmed breeding pair of wolves.

Russ Morgan, the ODFW’s wolf coordinator, told The Observer newspaper of La Grande that the animal has been missing for about three weeks.

The wolf was outfitted in February with a GPS collar that is capable of tracking his whereabouts. Morgan says it’s not uncommon for a radio collar to fail, but another possibility is that the wolf is dead.

The Oregon Wolf Plan says four breeding pairs must be established in Eastern Oregon before the animal can be de-listed as an endangered species.v

http://www.mycentraloregon.com/news/state/ap/1235072/Missing-alpha-male-wolf-concerns-ODFW.html

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Photo: Courtesy ODFW

Posted in: Oregon wolves, gray wolf, wolves in the crossfire

Tags: Imnaha alpha male, Wildlife Services, Oregon wolves, wolves in the crossfire, gray wolf

Wolf Kill Permit Extended AGAIN in Oregon, the Imnaha Alpha Male Is Missing!!

Imnaha Alpha Male 2009   (Where is he?)

Could things get any worse for wolves in Oregon? This has to be the most beleaguered wolf population in the US, besides the Mexican gray wolves.

From Natural Oregon:

Federal agents are getting another week to hunt down two wolves in Wallowa County. This is the second time ODFW has extended the hunt.

AND

the alpha male of the Imnaha wolf pack is missing. He should be wearing a tracking collar. But wildlife officials haven’t seen or heard from him in nearly three weeks.

So ODFW extended Wildlife Services kill order deadline for the second time! It was set to expire on June 19 but now it’s been moved ahead to June 25th. This gives Wildlife Services another week to hunt these two wolves down, even though there have been no depredations since June 4. Why would they do that?  Pressure from ranchers? Does this ever end?

The most disturbing news concerns the missing alpha male. If he was shot illegally, this would be so tragic. The Imnahas are Oregons only breeding  pair of wolves.  The loss of the father (alpha)  is the worst possible outcome. 

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Wolf News: Hunt Extended Again, Alpha Male Is Missing

June 18, 2010

By Dennis Newman

http://www.naturaloregon.org/2010/06/18/wolf-news-hunt-extended-again-alpha-male-is-missing/

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Write to ODFW concerning the extension of Wildlife Services kill permit. Are they bowing to pressure from ranchers? 

There are only 14 wolves in the entire state of Oregon and this is how they treat them?

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Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

3406 Cherry Avenue N.E. 

Salem, OR 97303

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ODFW WILDLIFE DIVISION STAFF DIRECTORY

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/agency/directory/wildlife_division.asp

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Main Phone (503) 947-6000 or (800) 720-ODFW [6339]

Comments:  odfw.info@state.or.us

To Enter Your Opinion About This Issue Into Public Record: Contact: odfw.comments@state.or.us

 

Photo: Courtesy ODFW

Posted in: Oregon wolves, gray wolf/canis lupus, Wolf Wars

Tags: Imnaha wolf pack, Imnaha alpha male, Oregon wolves, Sophie, Wildlife Services

Guard Donkeys? Ranchers Turn To Crabby Equines To Watch Over Livestock!

Páramo baby donkey

More and more ranchers, in the US and around the world, are using guard donkeys to protect their livestock from predators. 

There is no love lost between the Equidae and Canidae families. Donkeys, especially jennies, are very protective of animals they graze with and will run at, chase,stomp, kick and even kill any canine they encounter. They are also used to guard cattle from jaguars in Belize.

If ranchers are looking to protect their livestock from minimal predation, they might want to shell out $300 and purchase a donkey. This could be the answer to their problem. Now wouldn’t that be a kick in the ass?

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Guard Donkeys Help Ranchers Protect Herds

Aug 7, 2007 9:59 am US/Central Associated Press

(AP) MILANO Coyotes and wild dogs were slaughtering calves on Herbie Vaughan’s ranch in the Cedar Creek valley south of Milano until about eight years ago when he took an old-timer’s advice and installed guard donkeys in the herd.

“When I put the donkeys out there, I no longer had a coyote problem,” says Vaughan. “It’s like they disappeared. I don’t know why, but it worked.”

Sage ranchers have learned to take advantage of the intrinsic aggression between members of the Equidae and Canidae families, said Jon Gersbach, Texas Cooperative Extension county agent for ag and natural resources in Milam County.

In short, horses, donkeys, mules, and zebras loathe the company of dogs, wolves and their coyote cousins, and they are not too nice about it either, Gersbach said.

Donkeys, the most intolerant of the family, will “attack and kick” coyotes and dogs, Gersbach said.

“They will bray, run them down, bite them, and either chase them off, or if they get the chance, they will kick them, and they will pound them.”

They are very protective in the right environment, thus, there is a formula for a successful donkey security system, Gersbach said.

Jennies rather than the jacks of the species are superior pasture guards because of maternal, protective characteristics, Gersbach said. Donkeys, or burros, gravitate toward bonding with whatever livestock happens to share their pasture, whether it is horses, cattle, sheep, or goats.

However, too many donkeys in one meadow will encourage herd behavior and yield less effective protection. The most effective pasture guardians arrive at a young age and grow up among their animal neighbors. Donkeys have the advantage over working dogs in pasture settings because they eat the same food as other livestock, Gersbach said.

Guarding Vaughan’s herd is two Jennies and a jack colt.

“I have had a couple of jacks, but I had to get rid of them,” Vaughan said. “It is my understanding in talking with other folks, if jacks are not raised being around cows, sometimes they get a little aggressive toward cows. The jack I have out there right now is young. The whole time he’s been on the place, he’s been with those cattle, and he doesn’t seem to have a problem.”

Vaughan’s sentry-duty donkeys require little maintenance, and routinely demonstrate an attitude problem, the same inbred stubbornness, and ornery characteristics associated with a mule — the offspring of a male donkey and mare.

“They eat the grass and drink the water, I worm them and check their hooves. They will come up to the truck and eat peppermint candy out of my hand,” Vaughan said. Freckles, Happy and Little One respond when Vaughan whistles and are treated as pets, nibbling treats offered by the children, he said.
Vaughan paid about $300 for the two Jennies, and borrowed a jack, hence the arrival of Little One.

Though they act like family pets, they have behaved ferociously toward Vaughan’s two German shepherds, Char and PC, and “tried to stomp them.”

John Young, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department mammalogist of Austin, said donkeys and llamas are widely used among ranchers, particularly those with goats and sheep, to protect farm animals from predators.

“They are going to try to kick them, stomp them, they run at them, bite them, grab them, and throw them around if they can. If they can catch one, they will kill it,” Young said.

Confrontations between a burro and coyote are usually one-on-one because pack behavior by coyotes is uncommon, said Young, a coyote expert. Coyotes weigh an average of 25 pounds, and normally attack calves that are newborn, sick or injured, he said.

Texas Cooperative Extension reported that between 1,000 to 1,800 of Texas’ 11,000 sheep and goat producers use donkeys as pasture defenders. In one survey, 59 percent of producers rated donkeys, good or fair for deterring predators, primarily coyotes. In Colorado, 99.3 percent of sheep producers use donkeys to protect their herds, the extension service reported.

Experts recommend challenging a new donkey with a dog to test its response to canines, and to bypass donkeys that are not aggressive.

Donkey defenders are commonplace on small cattle operations, but large ranchers merely budget for calf losses from illness and predators, Gersbach said. Donkey devotees swear by their pasture protectors, though.

“If they save one calf a year, they are paying for their own way,” Gersbach said. “There will be some people that will swear by them, and there will be some people that are not going to be interested in them.”

http://www.solacefarm.com/protection.htm

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Smart Asses: Are Donkeys a Rancher’s Best Weapon for Protecting Cattle from Jaguars?

http://magblog.audubon.org/smart-asses-are-donkeys-rancher%E2%80%99s-best-weapon-protecting-cattle-jaguars

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Ranchers turn to natural security vs. wolves

Written by LOREN UNDSETH http://www.reviewmessenger.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6134%3Aranchers-turn-to-natural-security-vs-wolves&catid=41%3Arotator-news

 

Thanks Grey Wolf for bringing this to my attention and for the link!

Photo: Courtesy Sebeka * Menagha Review Messenger, Wikimedia Commons and FunPic

Posted in: gray wolf/canis lupus, wolf education, Ranchers using proactive measures

Tags: donkeys, guard animals, pro-active ranchers

Waiting Game: Fate Of Wolves In The Northern Rockies?

It’s been over  a year since wolves were delisted in the Northern Rockies, yet it seems like decades. Almost immediately, Montana and Idaho were lining up wolf trophy hunts. Wolf advocates have always been told the states would be reasonable managing wolves, that they “loved wolves”. Well if this is love, it’s TOUGH LOVE.  500 wolves died in the Northern Rockies in 2009 and Wildlife Services is still killing them for agribusiness. It’s been a terrible year.

Wolf supporters watched in horror as wolves were hunted for the first time since their reintroduction. One minute they were a protected species and the next they were target practice. 

It was shocking in it’s swiftness but were we all so naive to think the states could “manage” wolves? State game agencies have never been good at managing predators.  Predators compete for the game hunters want to kill. Hunters are state game agencies’  life blood. They pay licensing fees which fill state game agency coffers.  Why would the welfare of wolves ever trump that relationship? It wouldn’t and it hasn’t.

From the Sierra Club:

“We have consistently maintained that wolves in the northern Rockies are not ready to be removed from the Endangered Species list,” said Sierra Club representative Bob Clark. “Removing federal protections for wolves has left them at the mercy of aggressive state plans that treat wolves as pests rather than a valuable wildlife resource.”

On Tuesday, June  15th, wolves went to court to gain their protections back. The lawsuit to relist wolves, brought by fourteen environmental groups, was finally moving forward.  Judge Molloy was ready to hear oral agruments from both sides of the wolf  issue, at the Russell Smith Federal Courthouse in Missoula,  Montana.

Of course there were wolf protesters outside the courthouse waving their anti-wolf signs. And of course they were on the front page of  local newspapers. The anti-wolf crowd gets most of the headlines. I guess hateful rhetoric sells. But make no mistake wolves have many, many supporters in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, Wolves have supporters around this country and the world. We might not be as vocal but we are no less passionate about this incredible amd persecuted animal, the gray wolf.

The courtroom was packed,  a brief recess was called when a legal student collapsed while presenting part of the case for The Greater Yellowstone Coalition.

The hearing didn’t last very long,  It was all over in a few hours. 

I want to personally thank Doug Honnold, the lead Earthjustice attorney, for doing such a terrific job for wolves in their dark hour!!

Judge Molloy stated he’d rule ”as quickly as I can”.  I hope it comes soon. Montana and Idaho have admitted they are aggressively going after wolves to reduce their numbers in 2010/2011. This is called “wolf love”?  It’s how they show their love for wolves by killing them?  Who do they think they’re kidding?

Both states want to significantly increase their wolf hunt quotas, Montana proposes a wolf archery season and back country wolf rifle season. Idaho may be adding calling, baiting and trapping to their ”toolbox” of tricks. I shudder to think what will happen if wolves aren’t relisted.

And we can’t forget the hardcore wolf haters, that love to stir things up. One wolf hating website discussed hunters killing wolves with Xylitol, a popular sweetner, that’s deadly to canines. I guess they don’t care if  pet dogs die along with the wolves they hate so much. Seriously, what is wrong with people?  Do you see what wolves are up against in the Northern Rockies? They cannot survive here without ESA protection.

So now we wait.

The future of the Northern Rockies gray wolf  hangs in the balance.

Posted: Tuesday, 15 June 2010 8:46AM Fate of Rocky Mountain wolves to be decided Sierra Club http://www.keci.com/pages/7470875.php?contentType=4&contentId=6288504 =======

Photos: courtesy kewl wallpaper

Posted in: Wolf Delisting Lawsuit, Howling For Justice, Wolf Wars

Tags: Judge Molloy, ESA, Doug Honnold,, gray wolf/canis lupus, wolf persecution