Are we going to sit by and let politicians use wolves to further their political ambitions? Are we going to allow them to strip gray wolves of their ESA protections? HELL NO!!
Are we going to protest “conservation hunts” proposed by Montana FWP? HELL YES!!
Get ready Wolf Warriors, the assault on the ESA has begun and we better be ready to fight. That means calling every senator and congressman, as many times as necessary, to defeat any and all attempts to remove gray wolves’ ESA protections. It may mean organizing pro-wolf rallies across America to show support for wolves.
There are so many new schemes in Montana and Idaho to kill wolves, it’s hard to keep up with them all . I’ll try to give you a comprehensive look at the shenanigans.
Since the anti-wolf bunch lost in court they’ve been tying themselves in knots trying to figure out ways to kill (manage) wolves and circumvent the ESA.
There’s been coalition building by Montana FWP with ranching and hunting lobbies, to find ways around Judge Molloy’s ruling. There’s wolf hysteria in Idaho County, Idaho, asking the Governor to allow wolves to be shot on sight.(that was tried once before).
The latest and most popular assault on gray wolves is coming from the legislative branch. Montana’s Representative Denny Rehberg (who has a dead, stuffed wolf in his DC office) along with Utah’s Reps. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, are signing onto the anti-wolf House Bill 6028, which aims to strip wolves of their ESA protections. The bill was drafted by a Texas Congressman, lord only knows why, since there are no wolves in Texas. But it’s fairly obvious this is a political ploy to garner support from the “hook and bullet crowd”, right before the November elections.
Even though there is very little chance HR 6028 will pass the House THIS YEAR, it shouldn’t be ignored, because it will certainly be introduced again next year. The current Congress is lame duck and when it expires on December 31, 2010, all bills in committee will be moot. But that doesn’t mean the threat will disappear because the new Congress will likely be majority Republican, making it a more favorable climate to continue the war against gray wolves and assault on the ESA.
To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to prohibit treatment of the Gray Wolf as an endangered species or threatened species.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. PROHIBITION ON TREATMENT OF GRAY WOLF AS AN ENDANGERED SPECIES OR THREATENED SPECIES.
Section 4(a) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
‘(4) The Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) shall not be treated as an endangered species or threatened species for purposes of this Act.’
Rehberg also drafted his own legislation: (Remember this is the man with the dead, stuffed wolf in his DC office. CLICK HERE to see it.)
Rep. Rehberg’s Anti-Wolf Bill (Draft):
http://rehberg.house.gov/uploads/DRAFT_WolfBill.pdf
He also conducted a survey to ask Montanans how they feel about wolves. I think you can guess the results. I’m sure every hunter, outfitter and rancher answered the survey, clearing their cookies over and over.
Rehberg thinks the support of ranching and hunting lobbies gives him cover to move forward with his anti-wolf agenda, presuming they are speaking for all Montanans. This of course is ridiculous. People are distracted by the bad economy, they might not be paying attention to the wolves’ plight. I’m sure Rep. Rehberg is counting on that.
Our voices may be drowned out by the rabid wolf haters but please take the time to tell Denny Rehberg just what you think of stripping gray wolves of their ESA protections. I urge all Montanans who support wolves to continue to answer the survey.
Rep. Rehberg’s “wolf” survey, CLICK HERE
He’s also going to hold meetings on his anti-wolf bill. Can you just imagine what will go on? The wolf hating crowds will show up in droves. Then he can preach to the choir and run back to DC to say Montanans want somethin done about those dang wolves.
This is a slippery slope, if we allow wolf haters to tamper with wolves’ protections, then grizzly bears are next. All animals shielded under the ESA will be in trouble. I believe groups like the Safari Club, The Cattlemen’s Assoc. and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife are behind this push. They would love to see the ESA dismantled, leaving our wildlife at their mercy.
As if the House bills aren’t bad enough, Montana Senators Tester and Baucus, joined by Idaho Republicans Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, are also pushing to have wolves stripped of their ESA protections:
Senator Baucus (D) has been in the Senate since 1978 and before that he served in the House starting in 1975. THAT’S THIRTY FIVE YEARS. He’s a career politician, what the heck ever happened to term limits?
Personally I think he jumped into this because there are lots of ranchers and hunters in Montana that he wants to please. Also he played a large role in writing the wildly unpopular health care bill, which among other things, robs Medicare of 500 billion dollars and guts Medicare Advantage, a very popular plan for over 10 million seniors. What better way for Baucus to distract voters before the November election, then to demonize wolves? He earns points with the anti-wolf groups and takes the focus off health care, which no Democrat wants to talk about. Well, Democrats don’t want to admit they are the ones that delisted wolves, not George Bush, even though he tried hard enough. I read that on Bush’s last day in office, he tried to delist wolves. So sad.
Wolves are an easy target, they don’t vote, don’t pay taxes and are voiceless.
Right Senator Baucus. Wolves were responsible for 97 cow losses in Montana in 2009 from a population of 2.5 million cattle. Sounds like a huge emergency. What a joke. Thousands of cows drop dead every year from weather, disease and reproduction. Coyotes and domestic dogs are the main predators of cows.(NASS 06) There are also cattle losses from theft. I don’t think 97 cow losses are going to cause anyone to go broke, especially when ranchers are reimbursed for every confirmed minuscule wolf kill.
To put the tiny number of cattle losses to wolves in perspective:
“A total of 19,400 cattle and 43,600 calves were lost in Montana due to non-predators. The value of non-predator losses was $40.0 million. The value of cattle losses were $21.9 million and calf losses amounted to $18.1 million. The leading causes of non-predator cattle losses were unknown, 4,200 head; other, 3,500 head; and respiratory with 3,100 head. The leading causes of calf losses were calving problems, 11,300 head; weather related, 10,200 head; and respiratory with 7,800 head.” (NASS 06)
Hmmmm, I wonder why ranchers have such a big interest in wolf losses, since, as you can see, cows are dropping like flies from non-predators related causes. Yet Wildlife Services has the nerve to run around Montana, Idaho and Wyoming killing hundreds of wolves for predation. A whole federal bureaucracy has grown up around killing wolves. Wildlife Services continually targets wolves, using traps, gunship helicopters, they’re proposing to gas wolf pups in their dens and sterilize alpha pairs. All for what? 97 cows?
There’s more. Montana FWP filed a petition with USFWS asking them to allow “conservation hunts” of a PROTECTED SPECIES. Here are are the ugly details.
This is the key sentence in the article: “FWP seeks authorization to create a conservation hunt to relieve population pressures and associated biological, social, and political pressures that currently jeopardize support of wolf recovery in Montana,” Risley said.
Social and political pressures? Those are telling words. They want to hunt an endangered species because of social and political pressures? The pressure is certainly on them from special interests to have a wolf hunt. They are all crying in their beer because the hunts were halted. Hunting a protected species to relieve political and social pressures is not science and it makes them look ridiculous and desperate. Getting hysterical over a tiny population of 520 wolves in a huge state like Montana would be laughable if it wasn’t so deadly serious for wolves. Minnesota has 4500 wolves, almost nine times the number in Montana.
Wolves are not even close to being recovered in the Northern Rockies. Hundreds died after the delisting. Alphas were slaughtered along with their pups, entire wolf packs destroyed. There have been no studies on the effect that killing had on Montana’s wolves, or any other wolves in the Northern Rockies for that matter, yet the state is begging to have another wolf hunt THIS YEAR, to slaughter more wolves to relieve political and social pressures? They are proving to everyone why Montana cannot manage wolves without prejudice. This is why the ESA was created, to shield a species like the wolf, who suffers from tremendous scapegoating and persecution.
The war against wolves in the Northern Rockies has only escalated since they won back their protections on August 5th, 2010. There are new plots to circumvent the ESA popping up almost daily. We have to focus on the threats I’m discussing in this post and the ones yet to come.
We cannot allow ranchers, hunters and outfitters to dictate policy concerning our wildlife. They are pushing the state game agencies to kill wolves and weaken the ESA. Now the politicians are posturing for votes by bad mouthing wolves. We have to stand up to these recent attacks. Wolves are completely vulnerable. We are their only voice.
I’m again posting the links to Congress, both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate. Please make it your duty to call and write not only your own legislators but as many names as possible. Find out where they stand, don’t let them off the hook. We must let them know wolves have tremendous support in this country and we DO NOT WANT THEM GUTTING THE ESA. There can be no more important issue facing wolves and wolf advocates. We can’t let wolves down or no protected species will ever be safe again.
“The human spirit is not dead. It lives on in secret….It has come to believe that compassion, in which all ethics must take root, can only attain its full breadth and depth if it embraces all living creatures and does not limit itself to mankind.”…….Dr. Schweitzer
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US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml
US SENATE
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
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Boulder White Clouds Council
Exposing The Big Game
Footloose Montana
Friends of the Clearwater
Lockwood Animal Rescue Center
Louise du Toit
LUPUSLAETUS
Mercy For Animals
Northern Idaho Wolf Alliance (NIWA)
Predator Friendly®- Because Wildlife Matters
Project Coyote
Project: Wolf
The Nature Conservancy
The Ravensong Group
WildEarth Guardians
Wisconsin Wildlife Ethic-Vote Our Wildlife
Wolf And Wildlife Studies: Jay Mallonee (Independent Wolf Biologist)
Wolf Song of Alaska
Wolves in english ! Les loups en anglais !
WWP's Gray Wolf Page
Yellowstone To Yukon Conservation Initiative
Howling For Justice 
Dear Nabeki.
That hate is unbelievable and comes from people who say that care about people or nature or our world that is same. Well i think we us all the Wolf Warriors will fight them with any cost. We want just one thing to save the lives of Wolfs (and all the other creatures who are on hunters mercy) they want to take them away. People who see or hear about that fight will support us all ready we are much more we need to be organized we must fight back on the right time on the right place. We must move the world we must find people who can speak out loud on media on shows people who can aware all the others who dint know about this situation about our fight. Nature and wilderness need our help. Wolfs are in danger we must fight for they lives Howl Wolf Warriors Howl…
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Vasileios…you are a true Wolf Warrior and I’m so thankful you joined us to help wolves. We must spread the word that wolves need our help and they are in serious jeopardy. That is our mission…getting the word out and finding a famous name to help the cause. If we could just move beyond the Northern Rockies and let people know across America to stand up for wolves. Unfortunately these are hard economic times and people are distracted by the bad economy, many are unemployed, struggling to feed their families. This is a rough time for wolves and for many Americans, even so I believe there are decent people in this country that will answer our call to action. We cannot lose this fight or no animal will be safe.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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Dear Nabeki,
Well we knew we would have a fight, and we knew it would be an up hill battle, so let’s get going. I agree wholeheartedly that we need to make a commitment to contact not just our own representatives in Washington, but every member of the House and Senate. The Ranchers in this country not only want all wolves banished from every state, but horses as well to enable their cattle free grazing rights. I am convinced the both the Fish and Wildlife Management (translate wildlife killers) and the BLM (Bureau of Lies and Mismanagement) have been so successful because the Ranchers and Hunters are paying these people under the table. You add that to all the lobbying going on in D.C. and you can see we have one hell of a fight on our hands BUT we are going to fight them and we will WIN. I am not willing to sacrifice our wildlife to ranchers and hunters. So let the battle begin!
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So well said SCWG. I had hoped we’d have a period of calm after wolves won their protections back but no such luck. It was a long brutal year when wolves were being slaughtered in the hunts and by WS. Now we are facing these people once again.
I know we can win this battle, we just have to wake the sleeping giant of wolf supporters around the country. We MUST get the word out that no animal is safe from these people. This won’t be easy but nothing in life that is truly worthwhile is ever easy. Wolf Warrrios are passionate, committed people and we will not rest until wolves are safe. One thing we cannont allow is meddling with the ESA. That will be the death of our wildlife as we know it.
ONWARD!!
Nabeki
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“We killed hundreds of thousands of wolves. Sometimes with cause, sometimes with none. In the end, I think we are going to have to go back and look at the stories we made up when we had no reason to kill, and find some way to look the animal in the face again.” –Barry Lopez, “Of Wolves And Men”
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Barry Lopez for Department of the Interior!! Thanks for sharing that great quote from his book, Joby. I wish the haters had learned something from the first extermination but unfortunately they haven’t. All that money DOW paid ranchers for fifteen years and ranchers still hate wolves more then ever. I feel like we’ve gone back in time to the early 19th century.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
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Denny Rehberg is up for re-election this year, but in case anyone was thinking that his Democrat opponent might have something better to offer in the way of wolf policy, here’s a quote from him:
Dennis McDonald, who is running against Denny Rehberg for the U.S. House, issued the following statement: “I am profoundly disappointed in Judge Molloy’s decision to take wolf management away from the State of Montana. Fish, Wildlife, & Parks has developed an excellent management plan that will not be implemented now because of this ruling. Wolf management cries out for common sense solutions. Our wildlife populations, including elk, moose, and deer, will continue to decline with the gray wolf on the endangered species list. The present wolf population greatly exceeds all population targets. The answer is Federal legislation requiring wolf management to be in the exclusive jurisdiction of the states. I will submit such legislation immediately upon arriving in Washington, D.C.”
Taken from http://www.clarkforkchronicle.com/article.php/20100806145036896
As you can see, it’s the same old elk-hunters’ propaganda and desire to gut the ESA all over again.
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I know CaptainSakonna, there is no choice for Montanans in November. It would be tempting to vote for Rehburg’s opponent just to get him booted out. Unfortunately Montana doesn’t have the population to allow us to have two Representatives. We’re stuck with Rehburg or Dennis McDonald, if he wins.
I love the chest beating about Montana’s wonderful wolf management plan. Who are they kidding? I think they believe we’re all stupid. Montana has a horrible wolf kill (management) plan. They went from killing 75 wolves the first year to 186 the second year adding a wolf bow hunting season and back country rifle season. What’s so wonderful about that? More dead wolves. These people are delusional.
N.
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It’s just like Nabeki said not too long ago. We used to think Democrats were better than Republicans when it came to issues concerning wildlife “management”. I think this clearly proves if you are a rancher, it really doesn’t make any difference if you are Republican or Democrat. I hope all Montanans will especially let McDonald know that there are other people who live in Montana other than rancher and hunters, and they DO NOT support de listing the Gray Wolf from ESA protection, which would ensure the wolf population would be reduced to numbers too low to sustain the integrity of the various packs. Of course, that is their intention and their goal. They can call it wolf management all they want to, it is blatantly apparent it is nothing but a plan to kill wolves. It is our job to see that it doesn’t happen.
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So agree SCWG….there really is not that much difference in the two parties when it comes to corruption and greed. Congress is polling at the lowest numbers since they’ve been keeping records. I’m an Independent and vote for whomever I think is the best candidate but lately it’s slim pickens. It’s ridiculous both Representatives are anti-wolf but they probably believe they can’t win without the ranchers and hunters. If they looked around once in awhile they might find there are other people living in the state that don’t hunt and don’t raise cows.
N.
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TO ALL WOLVES WARRIORS! WE MUST TO FIND SOMEBODY VERY IMPORTANT (VIP…) WHO USE OURS VOICE FOR HELP WOLVES! HOWLS!
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So right Agnes. We need a powerful voice to carry our message around America. After the election is over I’m going to renew my efforts. It’s hard to get through to powerful people. Maybe Oprah?
N.
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Oprah Winfrey, Ellen Dgeneres, Martha Stewart…I don’t know many American talkshow hosts, for obvious reasons. Although they seem like great people, what they do they do for their crusts (albeit they are rather sizable crusts), which can lead to certain ‘complications’.
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John, we just need someone with clout to get the word out. The story is stuck in the Northern Rockies where agribusiness and hunting lobbies have control. Most Americans have no idea about what’s going on here. Wolf Wars Part II needs to be told.
N.
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Nabeki, are there any pro wolf organizations or enivironmental groups going after wildlife services? I think this should be a top priority. I never hear much from environmental groups when it comes to wildlife services. We need to stop them.
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Jon…..WWP won a major victory in 2002 when Judge Winmill issued this ruling:
Judge orders reform on wolf, cattle issue
Forest Service must give wildlife precedence over livestock
For the week of June 19 – 25, 2002
“Federal agencies must devise new strategies for dealing with wolf and livestock conflicts in central Idaho’s White Cloud and Sawtooth mountain ranges, according to a federal court ruling last week.
In an 11-page decision issued June 13, U.S. District Judge Lynn Winmill ordered the U.S. Forest Service to give wildlife precedence over livestock in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and to complete overdue environmental studies on grazing allotments.
The 1972 law that established the SNRA gives all wildlife precedence over livestock, Winmill ruled.
“The (SNRA) statute is clear,” the judge wrote. “Congress identifies, as one of the primary ‘values’ of the SNRA, the conservation and development of ‘wildlife,’ which would include the gray wolf. Certain other values, including grazing, were to be developed conditionally—that is, developed only ‘insofar as their utilization will not substantially impair’ the development of wildlife such as the gray wolf.”
http://www.mtexpress.com/2002/02-06-19/02-06-19wolfdecision.htm
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Since that time his decision has been largely ignored by WS and they continue to slaughter wolves in the SNRA for agribusiness. Particularly egregious was the aerial gunning of the Basin Butte Pack in Stanley, Idaho on Thanksgiving Day, 2009 by WS.
Thanksgiving Week Massacre of Basin Butte Wolves…..Stanley, Idaho
December 6, 2009
WWP is now once again suing WS over the SNRA:
Central Idaho Wolf Litigation
December 31, 2009
Complaint Introduction
http://www.westernwatersheds.org/legal/2009/12/central-idaho-wolf-litigation
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In a separate action WildEarth Guardians has petitioned President Obama asking him to abolish federal wildlife killing by WS.
http://www.wildearthguardians.org/Wildlife/WildlifePolicyReform/AbolishingFederalKilling/tabid/127/Default.aspx
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Nabeki, this seems like it is going to be a long battle. I was curious as to what your thoughts are on hazing and shooting rubber bullets to scare wolves off. Do you think this is effective at all? Why are the ranchers leaving their livestock unattended and than act surprised and bitch when wolves or other animals eat their livestock? Aren’t ranchers responsible for watching over their livestock? I don’t get these people. Do they just expect their livestock is going to be left alone when no one is watching over them? Ranchers it seems to me have no logic or common sense. Part of a rancher’s job is to watch over his livestock. If a rancher doesn’t watch over his livestock and some of his livestock gets killed, it is the rancher’s fault for not doing his job properly. We need to get livestock off of our public lands. They have no right being on there as it creates conflict with native wildlife.
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I just wanted to tell everyone that next monday on the wild channel, Casey Anderson will be having grey wolves on his show. You should watch it. He is going to eat with grey wolves and test the bite strength of one. His show is called expedition wild and you should all watch it. I believe 9 pm or 10 pm it is on.
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I saw that John, I’m going to post it on the front page. The guy that does the show is a little goofy so not sure what to expect, hopefull he’ll do a good job. Looking forward to it.
Nat Geo Wild: DTV283
“Inside the Wolf Pack” (2010) The gray wolf during winter.
Monday, Oct. 4, 7pm Mtn
N.
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Nabeki, yeah, Casey does seem a little goofy. I think when some watch this show, they will see grey wolves have another side to them. Some people fault wolves for killing elk, deer, and moose and other animals and this is not really a valid reason for hating wolves with a passion. Wolves can be friendly animals. Some just don’t understand that wolves have to kill in order to survive. I have seen numerous videos with people and grey wolves playing together and grey wolves are wonderful animals.
Everyone, check out this unreal video. 17 foot crocodile man’s best friend?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/29/man-and-crocodile-chito-a_n_742427.html
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Jon…I was watching one of his shows on Kodiak bears in Alaska. He did the weirdest thing. He built Brutus a waterfall to see if he could catch fish like the Kodiaks. It was actually a nice fake waterfall. So Brutus is sitting on top and Casey keeps throwing a salmon at him and the fish lands on Brutus’ head, on his back, just all over. I don’t think the fish was alive but I didn’t like to see that. It bothered me. He’s just very strange sometimes and intrusive. I hope he doesn’t do something goofy like that with the wolves.
And the croc story was great. It renews my faith in mankind when I see acts of kindness like that. Especially that he released the croc back into the wild but it wouldn’t leave him. Wow!!
N.
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[…] https://howlingforjustice.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/action-alert-the-assault-on-the-endangered-species… […]
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About 2-3 years ago, Montana based independent film company ‘Terra’ (also on Youtube) produced the video ‘The New Wolf Hunters’ in which it described that because wolves are getting too popular and loved by the general public, in order to keep wolves and humans ‘safe’ from one another (i.e. to keep the status quo with the hunting and ranching community) wolves needed to be hunted as well as field research of the species to be reduced. Oh did I happen to mention the biologist featured in the film was Doug Smith? Another video titled ‘To Kill a wolf’ presents the ‘difficulties’ placed upon ranchers in the Paradise Valley – obviously it is sucking up to ranchers. The summary of ‘To Kill a Wolf’ also makes mention to ‘the approach of pro wolf agencies’ as a hindrance for ranchers seeking to protect their herds…anyone else smelling the anti-wolf agenda?
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John…I lost all faith in Doug Smith last year when he came out in favor of the wolf hunts. He said wolves should be hunted later in winter because their pelts are thicker. He also said he doesn’t think there should be any wolves in agricultural areas, which basically is the entire state of Montana, well except for Yellowstone and Glacier of course. Mech spouts the same line. I mean for godsakes the biologists in Yellowstone wouldn’t help that poor little Druid female with horrific mange. These biologists dart, collar and chase wolves around in the parks with helicopters yet they can’t treat mange? She was a DRUID, one of the last of their decimated pack, the most viewed wolf pack in the world, yet nobody lifted a finger to help her and she ended up leaving Yellowstone and was shot and killed. In Canada they treated a wolf pack for mange, so it can be done.
Biologists like Smith and Mech have let wolves down by giving fuel to the haters. I’m also tired of wolf biologists that cooperate with fish and game agencies helping them carry out their deadly killing polices against wolves. The only wolf biologist I hold in high esteem is Gordon Haber and he’s dead.
N.
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