The war on wolves is escalating in Montana, with state wolf “managers” admitting they are stepping up the aggression against wolves.
In a five-day period in May, fifteen wolves were gunned down in Montana by Wildlife Services for agribusiness, from five different packs.
Some of the packs involved in the bloody May campaign: The Trail Creek Pack, Cedar Creek Pack, Elevation Mountain Pack eliminated, Trapper Peak Pack, Selow Pack (entire pack will be eliminated), Bender Creek Pack (last pack member eliminated) plus other wolves from unnamed packs.
And to make matters worse Montana FWP has given the green light to kill 18 more wolves from five different packs.
So far this year, 64 wolves have died, with the majority — 44 — being shot by federal agents for preying on livestock. The others were killed by cars or property owners or died from unknown causes.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials also have authorized the shooting of at least 18 more wolves from five packs. If successful, that will bring the total to 82 dead wolves in Montana so far this year.
One lone dissenting opinion:
“It seems a little heavy-handed, when at last count there were only 524 wolves in Montana and a lot more cows,” said Jesse Timberlake with the conservation group Defenders of Wildlife.
The rest of the article was basically a soft ball interview with Montana wolf managers and USFWS Ed Bangs:
“We have 20 people scattered throughout the state, and it’s becoming more and more work, which is stretching them thinner and thinner. But these are probably the most committed government workers you’ll find,” Steuber said. “Our wolf work has been increasing for three, four, five years now so we’re getting kind of used to it, but it’s a little overwhelming right now.”
The poor things, their trigger fingers must be seriously hurting right now from all the killing. I want to know who in the world takes a job shooting wolves for a living?
This is trophy hunting, I don’t care what Wildlife Services or the Montana Wolf Team wants to call it.
AND its pupping season. How many pups were killed outright with their parents or left to starve?
Why are wolves being targeted? If you look at predation stats (NASS 2005), it makes no sense.
Montana Cattle Losses (NASS 2005)
Non-Predator Related Cattle Losses: 63,000
Respiratory Problems
Mastitis
Lameness/Injury
Other Diseases
Weather
Poisoning
Theft
Other Non-Predator
Unknown Non-Predator
===
All Predator Related Cattle Losses:
(Coyotes, Domestic Dogs, Mountain Lions, Bobcats, Vultures, Wolves, Bears, Other Predators, Unknown Predators) Total 3000
Wolves aren’t ever mentioned as a category..that’s how small their losses were.
===
So there you have it folks.
63,000 cattle lost to NON PREDATION: Respiratory problems, Mastitis, Lameness/Injury,Other Diseases, Weather,Poisoning and Theft.
ALL predators including coyotes, domestics dogs, felids, bears, wolves, vultures, eagles and unknown predators only accounted for 3000 losses in Montana (NASS 2005)
Did you know 10,200 calves were lost to weather alone in Montana that year?
Yet wolves, IN THE ENTIRE NORTHERN ROCKIES, were responsible for just 214 cattle losses in 2009 out of a population of SIX MILLION cattle.
Hundreds of wolves were wiped out by Wildlife Services last year and they continue to track and hunt down wolves. Why?
Wolves are not a serious threat to agribusiness? So what is their motive? I think the answer is clear, “because they can”. Because that’s what the two interest groups they manage wolves for, hunters and ranchers, want. Think for one minute if those two groups weren’t being catered to and the state actually took into account the opinions of the rest of its citizens? What a different world it would be for wolves.
Meanwhile more dead gray wolves, more lame explanations:
This blog is dedicated to the memory of Wolf 253, the beloved Yellowstone Druid wolf named Limpy, who was shot and killed in March 08, on the very day ESA protections were lifted for the gray wolf, by the then Bush Administration.
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