I was shocked by the headline in the Missoulian, “FWP says 2009 wolf hunt ‘a good day for Montana’, quoting Carolyn Sime, Montana state wolf coordinator. FWP even released a report on the hunt. Apparently, the devil is in the details.
Of course they’re going to be thrilled with themselves, they planned the hunt mere months after gray wolves were delisted. What are they going to say? We did a miserable job and 203 wolves are now dead in Montana between the hunt and wolves killed by Wildlife Services?
The wolf population in the state, before all the killing started, was approx. 450-500 wolves. Is anyone considering the Montanans that are wholly against the wolf hunts? That we consider this slaughter plain and simple in the name of hunting and ranching. That over FORTY PERCENT of Montana’s wolves are dead and Wildlife Services isn’t done yet? There are kill orders out on 22 more wolves from five packs, if they haven’t been killed already. No, the Montana hunt and shadow Wildlife Service hunt was not a wonderful success. FIVE HUNDRED NORTHERN ROCKIES WOLVES ARE DEAD.
This statement from the article caught my eye. “Others worried about the potential to wipe out entire packs.” How many packs of wolves has Wildlife Services taken out this year? I can name the Sage Creek Pack, the Big Hole Pack the Centennial pack AND they are gunning for the Mitchell Mountain, Battlefield and Pintler packs. Visit my wolf pack memorial page to see how busy they’ve been. Wildlife Services gunned down twenty seven members of the Hog Heaven Pack last year. TWENTY SEVEN WOLVES. Nine entire packs were wiped out in Montana in 2008 by WS on the orders of FWP. Are people living in dream land concerning what is happening to wolves in Montana and the Northern Rockies in general?? We didn’t need a Montana wolf hunt. WS killed more wolves this year then the hunts. The combination of the two was a double whammy to wolves. This is why State Fish and Game Agencies shouldn’t be managing wolves.
It’s a grim time for Montanans who care about wolves and it’s certainly a disaster for wolves. What in the world is there to celebrate or be happy about concerning wolves?
Posted in: Wildlife Services War on Wildlife, Montana wolf hunt, Wolf Wars, aerial gunning of wolves
Tags: Wildlife Services, Montana wolf hunt, gray wolf/canis lupus, wolves or livestock
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Killing wolves are inhumane and cruel. Wolf conservationists have worked years to bring the wolf back from near extinction. It doesn’t make a difference who is in the White House because the administration doesn’t seem to care about the balance of nature. You have to have a balance between prey and predator and now our predators are being slaughtered. Whole packs including pups. When will the American people learn you have to keep the ecosystem balanced. Didn’t we learn from our history not to wipe out a whole species?
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They seem to have failed to mention the pack wiped out just outside Yellowstone NP and the killing of wolves by WS.
“Fair-chase”
Yeah… right…
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John….Montana FWP and Idaho FG give WS their marching orders, so they’re all in it together. Most Americans have no idea what’s happening to wolves and how many have been killed. I can’t believe the big environmental groups aren’t out in front of this. How can five hundred dead wolves be ignored, probably more then five hundred? The MSM isn’t even touching it, except an editorial once in awhile.
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Folks in the know – know. Those who don’t are easily lead by whatever seems comfortable to them. Guess that’s why so many people believe most of the guff the government and their affiliates come out with. I may be wrong but have you ever noticed that the countries that say they have the healthiest and most spectacular wilderness areas are the ones that treat these same areas, and the wildlife within, the poorest?
I don’t like being a downer, I wish there was some good news. Oh yes there is something although not wholly related – according to a reliable source the USA is going to receive several dingo puppies as early as January 2010 (though probably later). The purpose of this endeavour is to start a breeding program along with other zoos across the world in order to help preserve and promote the species – I do not know specifically where they are headed though.
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The livestock people haven’t learned that lesson… the livestock and agricultural system is huge and all about money.
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They’re pulling the strings g….
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We need to stand up and be counted! Its not about whats right or wrong…its about money! From increased kill ratio’s for hunters, trappers and outfitters. This means Fish and Wildife receive additional funding from more sales of license’s. Second, Low maintenance cattle ranching and grazing for practically free on public land. “Our Land” Release and forget cattle ranching. Cattle should not have priorty on our public lands or national forest. Wildlife should have priorty. Last and most important for me is this should be all science based and unnfluenced by polticians or lobbyist. This is where the problem starts and finishes. The time it takes you to read and answer my comments you could have written Baucus, Tester,Schweitzer,Simes, Bangs anyone who will listen!!!!!Stand up and be counted!!!
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Great post Marc….you said it all. We can’t let up for one second. They need to feel push back on this. The wildlife viewing public outnumber the people that want to see wolves dead. We can win this. I will continue fighting for them!!
For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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We have to be the voice of the voiceless. For the wild ones.
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Caroline Sime and the rest of the “sadistic killers” from Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks continue to spread this bs about the success of the wolf hunt throughout the state.
They also allude to “studies” showing saying that the destruction of pack integrity by killing the mothers and fathers has no effect on livestock depredations despite the fact it’s barely a month since wolf hunting was over. How did they arrive at this conclusion so quickly?? Well,they’re trying to get public support for next years hunt. A hunt, I might add, that has the backing of the Montana Wildlife Federation’s “conservation” officer who was quoted in Helena as saying…”We’ll support killing twice as many next year”.
I’d hardly call the killing of the Cottonwood Pack adjacent to the Yellowstone boundary a “success” story, in as much as years of research on that pack by the Univ of Minnesota was destroyed.
It’s shameful to call this hunt a success.
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JerryB. I could not agree with you more. Unfortunately for us we have the ever increasingly bold,arrogant and ignorant Simes calling the shots for the polictical machine that she supports. I am hearing whispers that 2010 hunt will include traps and snares. Good God!!!For myself I think its time for Simes to go. She is blindly obsessed with the annihilation of this wonderful creature. People need to write,call and email the powers that be. I know I will be busy doing that this new year. Come on folks…Stand up and be counted!!!
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Hi Everyone….back from my trip to the North Fork…did not see one wolf or wolf sign. Very disturbing, they must really be hiding. I know the Dutch pack HAD twenty members and the Kintla Pack HAD nine. Both packs den in Glacier but move back and forth across park boundaries.
If wolves are relisted the battle is far from over because WS is the ever looming threat to their existence. Thanks everyone for caring. We have to keep fighting until wolves are safe, no matter how long it takes!!
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Marc and Jerry……I think the wolf hunts gave the green light to the wolf hatred that is spilling out. People are using them as a scapegoat for everything that’s wrong in their lives. Do they wake up everyday and think, wolves are ruining my life? It’s so insane.
How can Montana FWP even think about another wolf hunt when they have no idea the damage that’s been done to wolves in the Northern Rockies. Wolves have been slaughtered indiscriminately….how many alphas have been killed, pups, how many more will die before this killing season is over?
I can’t even imagine traps and snares in another hunt. That is scary. If Molloy doesn’t relist them, all hell will reign down on them next year, even worse then now. This year has to be the year they get some relief. Everyone has to do their part to help these embattled animals or the wolf’s howl will be silenced again. There are no amount of letters, phones calls, emails that are too many. We have to keep it up until they get the message. Wolf advocates deserve a seat at the table, this is our wildlife that is being slaughtered for ranching and hunting and yet the commissioners in Idaho and the wolf managers in Montana don’t represent our interests. Who thinks it’s time for a change?
For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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I’m of the opinion that it’s time refer to wolf parents not as the “Alpha Male” and the “Alpha Female” but what they really are…..The “Father” and the “Mother”.
I think the “killing agencies” have figured out that calling them “Alphas”, doesn’t strike a nerve with people as much as “Mothers” and “Fathers” and minimizes the strong family structure and hierchy associated with wolf packs.
Herein, I will refer to them as the Mother Wolf and the Father Wolf.
So that said……..Caroline Sime and her agency , Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, have begun their campaign in the Blackfoot River Area to slaughter the Elevation Mountain Pack. They’ve killed the father and a pup and are searching for the collared mother and the remaining two pups which they will mostly likely kill with an aerial assault from helicopters. All this killing because a rancher lost ONE heifer this year to wolves.
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Jerry…that is really an excellent point. By calling them alphas it makes the process clinical. One or two alphas here, another alpha over there, people can’t relate to it as well as I you say, both the mother and father of the pack were killed, leaving their puppies to starve.
FWP wants us to think of wolves as if they’re deer or elk. Wolves are highly socialized animals and pack structure is so important. I’m going to follow your lead by using mother alpha or father alpha, to remind people that WS and the hunters are slaughtering wolf families.
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