Idaho Declares War On Its Wolves….

We knew it would happen. We watched in horror as the anti-wolf crowd devised an end round Judge Molloy’s ruling to relist wolves. Western politicians stepped up and helped gut the ESA and strip Northern Rockies gray wolves of their protections. Senate Democrats voted to delist wolves by budget rider, President Obama signed the bill into law and that was the beginning of the end of wolves in Idaho.

Now without the protection of the Endangered Species Act, as wolf advocates predicted,  Idaho is planning to kill most of its 1000 wolves, a third of whom are puppies. Trappers can kill up to 5 wolves, hunters 2, in a calendar year. Does that mean hunters and trappers can buy new sets of tags in 2012 as well? Which would allow them to kill even more wolves, since the season runs through March 31, 2012?

And didn’t IDFG Director, Virgil Moore state that if the hunters and trappers don’t get the job done that fish and game would bring in Wildlife Services with their helicopter gunships and traps?

From the Idaho Statesman:

“Idaho will also rely on federal wolf hunters and airborne gunners to kill wolves”

“Wolf control actions will take place in and out of the hunting season,”

So that’s the sad reality. Where’s the science in this slaughter? Where’s the empathy for the little pups that will die along with their parents, either by direct killing or starvation. These babies will only be four or five months old when the shooting starts. Who in the hell kills puppies?   Isn’t this animal cruelty plain and simple?

All the game playing that’s gone on, the demonization of wolves, when they’ve done NOTHING to deserve this. The elk are fine in Idaho and so are the millions of cows.  This is a political hunt aimed at pleasing hunters and ranchers, wildlife advocates be damned. We don’t count.

Idaho is garnering itself quite the reputation. They SHOULD care what wildlife watchers think, because they bring millions of dollars into the state. Are they going to endorse this killing spree? I think not!

It AMAZES me this all happened under Obama’s watch. We can no longer trust the Democrats to protect wildlife and the environment. Every single one of those Senate Dems voted to delist wolves, except for Wyden, Leahy and Levin. Think about that for a moment.

And now what we said would happen is happening. Idaho is not pretending to play nice anymore. They are setting out to do what they’ve wanted to do in the first place, take their wolf population from 1000 to 150 or lower?

And all the people who called for wolf hunts, is this what you envisioned? Wholesale slaughter? And what about a few of the conservationists that put their seal of approval on wolf hunts? Yes you know who you are. Do you like this plan?

I lay awake at night thinking about Idaho, Montana and Wyoming wolves. They have no idea what’s coming. They are raising their babies, teaching them how to be wolves. Little do they know,  if the state of Idaho has their way, they are “Dead Wolves Walking“, as Bill Gibson wrote.

Remember August is the month to Howl Across America to protest the wolf hunt horror!!

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Idaho plans for extensive wolf hunts, trapping

Laura Zuckerman Reuters July 28, 2011, 8:04 p.m.

SALMON, Idaho, July 28 (Reuters) – Idaho will open its wolf
population, now estimated at about 1,000 animals, to extensive hunting and trapping to reduce their numbers to no fewer than 150 under a plan approved on Thursday by the state Fish and Game Commission.

The move came after a heated public hearing Wednesday night
in Salmon, where wolf foes declared war on the iconic predators
with rhetoric describing Idaho as locked in a “wolf crisis” and
as one of three “wolf-occupied states” in the Northern Rockies,
along with Montana and Wyoming.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article

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Top Photo: Creative Commons

Puppy Photo: Courtesy Wolf People

Posted in: Wolf Wars, Idaho wolves

Tags: Idaho, IDFG, wolf trapping, wolf hunting, wolf archery, wolf wars, what about the puppies?

Grizzly Mama Drama in the Tetons…..

As everyone has guessed, I’m on vacation. I miss being on the blog everyday but I needed to recharge my batteries and get away for a while. I’ll be back soon full-time but in the meantime here’s what I’ve been up to.

Something pretty interesting happened the other day. We were traveling through the Grand Tetons and came upon a unique bear event. First we saw the signs that stated bears were in the area with cubs. Then we saw the bear jam. There were cars lined up and down the highway and people were dashing off into the field to see famous bear 399 with her triplets and her daughter 610, who has twins.

Traffic slowed to a crawl, everyone wanted to get a glimpse of the bears. At the time we had no idea both bears were in the area with their cubs. We thought it was 399 that was causing all the commotion but didn’t know 610 was there as well. We wanted to stop our car but it was so crazy, there were so many people, we just drove on by. There was a park ranger on the road holding up a sign that said SLOW. It was one of the craziest bear jams I’ve ever seen. I love grizzlies and just being in the area with them is awesome. Later that day we found out the details of what went down.

Of course I’m sad I missed getting those pictures and now the park has placed tough new restrictions on viewing grizzlies and wolves, because of what happened that day. I don’t agree with the new rules, they are way too harsh but it was truly bizarre out there and grizzly sows with cubs, even amiable ones like 399, can be so unpredictable.

One thing it proves to me is people love their wildlife alive and well. They will go to any lengths so get that shot and I don’t mean with a rifle.

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Grand Teton grizzly family causing bear jams

June 28, 2011 9:40 AM

(AP)  CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A grizzly bear clan famous for its frequent roadside appearances in Grand Teton National Park is keeping park rangers especially busy this summer tending to tourist critter jams.

The cubs are cute — no question about that — but a female grizzly with cubs happens to be one of the most dangerous animals in North America. And this Grand Teton clan has a history: One attacked a hiker; another was shot and killed by a hunter.

Biologists speculate the unusually camera-friendly behavior by Grizzly No. 399 and her daughter, No. 610, might serve to keep at bay adult male grizzlies, which sometimes kill cubs not their own. Five spunky cubs recently have joined the clan, adding to the tourist traffic.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of the story.

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Photo: Courtesy Wildlife Safari blog

Posted in: Grizzly Bear

Tags: Grand Teton National Park, bear 399, bear 610, strict photography rules, bear jam, grizzly bear cubs

Off and On… (Judge Molloy Holds Hearings)

Hi Everyone,

I’m going to be off and on the puter for the next two weeks. I won’t be able to answer many of your comments but please feel free to continue to visit. I will be posting wolf news as often as possible. I’m taking a little down time to re-charge my batteries but I’ll be thinking about all of you and of course my passion, the wolves.

We’re  all waiting for Judge Molloy’s decision.  I hope it comes quickly in favor of wolves. Congress betrayed gray wolves and the ESA by slipping the sneaky rider into a must pass appropriations bill.  The anti-wolf forces were losing in court so they did an end-run around the ESA. No endangered species is safe from that kind of political meddling. Who’s next? Grizzlies? Salmon? Any species that gets in the way of someone’s agenda.

Don’t forget to visit Howl Across America to plan or join a rally for wolves.

For the wolves, For the wild ones,

Nabeki

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Conservation groups ask judge to overturn Congressional action on wolves

Posted: Jul 26, 2011 1:44 PM by Dennis Bragg (KPAX/KAJ Media Center)

MISSOULA- Attorneys for conservation groups are accusing Congress of taking a “politically expedient shortcut” to take Northern Rockies wolves off the Endangered Species List. And they want U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy to say that step was unconstitutional.

That was the essence of an extremely detailed legal argument in Molloy’s Missoula courtroom Tuesday morning, where the judge must decide whether a Congressional rider last April is allowable.

The rider, known as Section 1713, was an 11th hour attachment to a government spending bill, which made an exception for gray wolves in Idaho and Montana, once more knocking the wolves off the Endangered Species List.

However, Alliance for the Wild Rockies and other groups accuse the government of violating the Separation of Powers Doctrine, which dictates the relationship between Congress, the courts and the Executive Branch. They maintain Section 1713 is a case of Congress “directing the court”, ordering de-listing even as appeals are still pending of Molloy’s August 2010 decision which put the wolves back under ESA.

Read More: http://www.kaj18.com/news/conservation-groups-ask-judge-to-overturn-congressional-action-on-wolves/

Photo: Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Posted in: Wolf Wars

Tags: Judge Molloy, 1713, unconstitutional rider, howling for justice, Northern Rockies

Howl Across America! Stand Up For Wolves!!

HOWL ACROSS AMERICA!!

Just to remind everyone to visit the Howl Across America FB page and connect with other wolf advocates, in preparation to HOWL in protest, August 2011.

You can  join an existing  rally or organize one in your hometown.

Speak out against the upcoming brutal wolf hunts AND the proposed unregulated killing of Wyoming wolves.

The Howl Across America Facebook page is the headquarters for this event, providing a forum for networking with others in your area. Advocates can share tips and advice on how to plan peaceful protests, find fellow wolf supporters and devise strategies to garner media attention.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Howl-Across-America/117708221649274?sk=wall

 Visit our online store that offers Howl Across America tees and other items.

http://zazzle.com/wolfwarriors

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Rallies Being Planned

Sign up to attend or start your own!!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Howl-Across-America/117708221649274?sk=app_2373072738

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Here we go Wolf Warriors!  Be the voice for the voiceless! Get ready to HOWL!!

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”… Edmund Burke

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Video: Howling4Justice YouTube.com

Photo: Courtesy Skyler T.

Posted in: Wolf Wars, Howl Across America

Tags: wolf wars, wolf persecution, wolf hunts, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, trapping, archery,  USFWS, IDFG, FWP

Condolences To The Norwegian People….

“Flowers are placed at a flagpole with the Norwegian flag flying at half-staff in front of the Scandinavian embassies’ building in Berlin, Germany, Saturday July 23. 2011” (AP)

As if there wasn’t enough madness in the world,  now this.

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Norway gunman fired for 1.5 hours on island

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Police arrived at an island massacre about 1.5 hours after a gunman first opened fire, slowed because they didn’t have quick access to a helicopter and then couldn’t find a boat to make their way to the scene just several hundred yards (meters) offshore. The assailant surrendered when police finally reached him, but 82 people died before that.

Survivors of the shooting spree have described hiding and fleeing into the water to escape the gunman, but a police briefing Saturday detailed for the first time how long the terror lasted — and how long victims waited for help.

The shooting came on the heels of what police told The Associated Press was an “Oklahoma city-type” bombing in Oslo’s downtown: It targeted a government building, was allegedly perpetrated by a homegrown assailant and used the same mix of fertilizer and fuel that blew up a federal building in the U.S. in 1995.

In all, at least 92 people were killed in the twin attacks that police are blaming on the same suspect, 32-year-old Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik.

A SWAT team was dispatched to the island more than 50 minutes after people vacationing at a campground said they heard shooting across the lake, according to Police Chief Sveinung Sponheim. The drive to the lake took about 20 minutes, and once there, the team took another 20 minutes to find a boat.

Footage filmed from a helicopter that showed the gunman firing into the water added to the impression that police were slow to the scene. They chose to drive, Sponheim said, because their helicopter wasn’t on standby.

“There were problems with transport to Utoya,” where the youth-wing of Norway’s left-leaning Labor Party was holding a retreat, Sponheim said. “It was difficult to get a hold of boats.”

At least 85 people were killed on the island, but police said four or five people were still missing.

Divers have been searching the surrounding waters, and Sponheim said the missing may have drowned. Police earlier said there was still an unexploded device on the island, but it later turned out to be fake.

The attack followed the explosion of a bomb packed into a panel truck outside the building that houses the prime minister’s office in Oslo, according to a police official

“It was some kind of Oklahoma City-type bomb,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because police hadn’t released the information.

Seven people were killed, and police said there are still body parts in the building. The Oslo University hospital said it has so far received 11 wounded from the bombing and 19 people from the camp shooting.

Police have charged Breivik under Norway’s terror law. He will be arraigned on Monday when a court decides whether police can continue to hold him as the investigation continues.

Authorities have not given a motive for the attacks, but both were in areas connected to the Labor Party, which leads a coalition government.

Even police confessed to not knowing much about the suspect, but details trickled out about him all day: He had ties to a right-leaning political party, he posted on Christian fundamentalist websites, and he rented a farm where he amassed six tons of fertilizer.

Police said the suspect is talking to them and has admitted to firing weapons on the island. It was not clear if he had confessed to anything else he is accused of. Police said he retained a lawyer, but the attorney did not want to be named.

“He has had a dialogue with the police the whole time, but he’s a very demanding suspect,” Sponheim said.

Earlier in the day, a farm supply store said they had alerted police that he bought six tons of fertilizer, which is highly explosive and can be used in homemade bombs.

Police and soldiers were searching for evidence and potential bombs at the farm south of Oslo on Saturday. Havard Nordhagen Olsen, a neighbor, told The Associated Press that Breivik moved in about one moth ago, just next to his house and said he seemed like “a regular guy.”

Olsen said recognized his neighbor in the newspapers this morning and admitted to “being under shock.”

Meanwhile, Mazyar Keshvari, a spokesman for Norway’s Progress Party — which is conservative but within the political mainstream — said that the suspect was a paying member of the party’s youth wing from 1999 to 2004.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg called the tragedy peacetime Norway’s deadliest day.

Read the rest of this sad, sad story: http://news.yahoo.com/norway-gunman-fired-1-5-hours-island-170527353.html

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Photo: Courtesy AP Photo/dapd/ Paul Zinken

Posted in: Other News

Tags: Norway, tragedy, Oslo bombing, Utoeya Island massacre

“Dead Wolves Walking” by James William Gibson

I broke down and cried like a baby reading this article. The situation is just so sad, especially when it’s laid out in black and white.

I want to thank Bill Gibson and Earth Island Journal for giving this story legs and keeping it real.

My wish is Howl Across America will move people out from behind their computers to protest the brutal treatment that is awaiting wolves in the Northern Rockies.  BUT if  Judge Molloy finds the wolf delisting rider unconstitutional,  it will put a stop to this horror.  His decision should come quickly, since he is retiring to Senior status in August.

This is playing out like a Greek tragedy. And to think this all happened because a Democrat president appointed a rancher to head the Interior.  What a disgrace!!

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Dead Wolves Walking

by James William Gibson – July 21, 2011

Wolf Hunts Scheduled in Idaho & Montana Unless Federal Judge Intervenes

Since April, when Congress removed gray wolves in Idaho and Montana from the protection of the Endangered Species Act by inserting a rider in a federal budget bill, state governments have been racing to prepare for wolf hunts this fall. (Read Gibson’s compelling report,  “Cry Wolf ” on the issue in the Journal’s Summer 2011 edition.)

So far, Idaho’s winning the race. In early July, the state’s fish and game director Virgil Moore announced a full seven-month hunting season — from the end of August to the end of March. Hunters can use any weapon they choose, utilize electronic calls to lure wolves within range, and kill two each.

http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/elist/eListRead/dead_wolves_walking/

Photo: Courtesy First People

Posted in: Wolf Wars

Tags: Idaho wolf hunt, Montana wolf hunt, Wyoming, gray wolf persecution, wolf wars, James William Gibson, Earth Island Journal

Keep The Momentum Going! Get Ready To Howl For Wolves In August!

This is our chance to be heard Wolf Warriors. We are a grass-roots movement of concerned advocates outraged by what is happening to wolves.

Wolf advocates, from across America and the world,  we are asking you to answer the call. Connect with each other, plan, organize and carry out peaceful rally/protests against the increasing persecution of wolves.

Don’t let this moment in time slip away thinking someone else will do it. You are the someone else. Wolves are depending on you and all of us to speak for them.

If you have a bad day and think there is no way you could organize a rally think what wolves are facing in the Northern Rockies. Idaho is proposing a no-quota wolf hunt in much of the state. Trappers can kill up to 5 wolves each and don’t have to check their traps for up to 72 hours. That’s 72 hours of sheer terror for a wolf or any animal caught in a leg-hold trap waiting to be killed. Wolves can be shot full of arrows, gunned down, killed in a snare or trap. If  you have a bad day think of all the bad days wolves and their little pups will be facing in Idaho starting August 30, 2011.

Visualize what’s waiting for Montana wolves. 220 are slated to die. Not only will they have to contend with hunters but Wildlife Services will continue to  kill them. In essence a double whammy, at a time when wolves are trying to raise and teach their pups how to be wolves. They will be harassed, chased, frightened and killed.

If you have a bad day think what wolves in Wyoming are facing. Unregulated killing in most of the state. They will be treated like vermin, as though they are merely a bug to be squashed under someone’s foot. This is how Limpy died when the USFWS lifted ESA protection for wolves in 2008. He was one of the many wolf victims killed for nothing before wolves were briefly relisted.

Don’t forget wolves or put them on the back burner, thinking someone else will do it,  or hope this will all go away.

August is just 11 days away. Visit HOWL ACROSS AMERICA and be part of the solution.

Wolf advocates we’ve sat on the sidelines for over two years, watching in horror as the events surrounding wolves unfolded.

It’s our time to speak out.

Stand for wolves.

CARPE DIEM!!

For the wolves, For the wild ones,

Nabeki

Beleaguered REAL Canadian Wolves….

Just when you think  wolf persecution can’t get any worse, it does.

From the Canadian Wolf Coalition:

The Canadian govt. has created laws that allow anyone to kill wolves at least 10 months out of the year- now it is 365 days a year (in the Cariboo) with NO restrictions whatsoever.

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Canada is waging the worst, bloodiest and most sadistic war against life anywhere in the world.  The hunting, trapping and killing of ALL wildlife is out of control, it is an absolute blood bath in Canada.  Wolves and all wildlife in Canada are constantly terrified, starving, displaced and living with unending fear and stress for their very survival.  The new regulations have turned the worst nightmare hell for wolves and made it a million times worse.”  (See article link below)

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 “There are almost no voices speaking for wolves in Canada, yet billions of voices screaming for trapping and killing them.  Wolves and all wildlife in Canada need help so desperately; I cannot tell you how much.  PLEASE HELP! “

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To help wolves in Canada, please contact:

Sadie Parr
Coordinator, Canadian Wolf Coalition
250-344-7998

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Regulation changes leaves wolf killing wide open

By Carole Rooney – 100 Mile House Free Press
Published: June 29, 2011 8:00 AM
Updated: July 05, 2011 4:51 PM

http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_cariboo/100milefreepress/news/124682049.html

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Photo: Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Posted in: Wolf Wars, Canadian wolves

Tags: gray wolf, Canada,  wolves in the Cariboo,  wolf persecution, trapping, hunting, killing

Howl Across America

Howling for Justice, NIWA and Wolf Warriors is launching HOWL ACROSS AMERICA on Facebook today.

During the entire month of August 2011, we would like to encourage wolf advocates everywhere to hold peaceful protests/rallies in their hometowns.

We can no longer sit on the sidelines, writing endless letters, faxing and calling, while the war against wolves rages on.  It’s time to stand up and be heard.

Please join Wolf Warriors from across the country as we HOWL in protest against the escalating persecution of wolves in America, especially the Northern Rockies. We denounce the delisting of wolves by budget rider and the brutal wolf hunts proposed by Montana and Idaho for this coming fall. Wyoming also wants “unregulated killing of wolves” in most of their state. That means wolves would be classified under predator status and could be killed year round. This is outrageous and a slap in the face to everyone who worked so hard to bring wolves back to the Northern Rockies. Now, after just sixteen years, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana want to kill them.

Wolves are already hunted year round by Wildlife Services, for miniscule livestock depredations. We may be seeing a repeat of the first Western extermination and why wolves badly need ESA protection. It also demonstrates what wolf advocates have been stating all along, that the states cannot be trusted to care for wolves. They only seem to listen to two groups of people, ranchers and hunters, many of whom have made it quite clear they do not want wolves.

Why State Fish and Game Agencies Can’t Manage Predators

By George Wuerthner, 4-17-09

Click Here to read:

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The Howl Across America Facebook page will act as headquarters for this event, providing a forum for networking with others in your area. Advocates can share tips and advice on how to organize peaceful protests, find fellow wolf supporters and devise strategies to garner media attention.

To learn more about this exciting campaign visit our Facebook page:

HOWL ACROSS AMERICA

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Howl-Across-America/117708221649274?sk=wall

Visit our online store that offers Howl Across America tees and other items.

http://zazzle.com/wolfwarriors

Here we go Wolf Warriors!  Be the voice for the voiceless! Get ready to HOWL!!

Video: Howling4Justice YouTube.com

Posted in: Wolf Wars, Howl Across America

Tags: wolf wars, wolf persecution, wolf hunts, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, USFWS, IDFG, FWP

Montana FWP Approves Killing 220 Wolves for 2011 Hunt….

Montana has a small wolf population of around 566 animals.  Killing off 220 wolves in the hunt with the added pressure of Wildlife Services slaughtering wolves for agribusiness is going to hit Montana wolves very hard.

Wildlife Services killed 141 wolves last year (MT FWP2010 report) and 145 wolves in 2009,  so I don’t expect them to slow down this year. Add that to the 220 wolf hunt quota for 2o11 and it makes things even harder for wolves.

220 plus 140 equals 360 dead wolves.

What about the new pups of this year? We all know the answer to that.

Just more bad news on top of bad news. It’s never ending. Is this what everyone envisioned for wolves when they were reintroduced in 1995?

FWP approves hunt of 220 wolves

BIG SKY — Montana will allow hunters to take 220 wolves during the fall hunting season, the state’s wildlife commission decided this morning.

 During its meeting at this mountain resort south of Bozeman, the five-member Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks commission voted unanimously to approve the hunting quota that would reduce Montana’s gray wolf population to at least 425 during what one FWP official called the state’s “first full-fledged wolf hunt.

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/environment/article_e3caa704-ae42-11e0-b19d-001cc4c002e0.html

Will I lose my parents and my life?

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Photo: Courtesy JosCos Deviant Art

Posted in: Wolf Wars, Montana wolves

Tags: 220 wolves slated to die, what about the pups, more dead wolves, Montana, FWP