Center For Biological Diversity
For Immediate Release, March 20, 2014
Idaho Lawmakers Pass Bill to Kill Hundreds of Wolves
$400,000 to Be Spent Wiping Out 500 Wolves, Setting Up Wolf-killing Board
BOISE, Idaho— The Idaho Legislature today passed House Bill 470, a bill to create a new lethal “Wolf Depredation Control Board” to administer a fund for widespread killing of wolves in the state. The bill, expected to be signed into law by Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, sets aside $400,000 in state funds to kill roughly 500 wolves, leaving just 150 in the entire state.
The new board will consist of members appointed and overseen by Otter, who said in 2007 that he wanted to be the first to kill an Idaho wolf after federal protections were taken away. The board will be made up of representatives of the agricultural, livestock and hunting communities. The bill does not require any members of the board to represent the wolf conservation community.
“Political leaders in Idaho would love nothing more than to eradicate Idaho’s wolves and return to a century-old mindset where big predators are viewed as evil and expendable,” said Amaroq Weiss, West Coast wolf organizer at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The new state wolf board, sadly, reflects that attitude. The legislature couldn’t even bring itself to put a single conservationist on the board, so the outcome is predictable: Many more wolves will die.”
Congress in 2011 stripped Endangered Species Act protection from wolves in Idaho and Montana. Since then, 1,592 wolves have been killed in those states.
The bill is the latest in a series of anti-wolf actions in Idaho that could ultimately backfire and force the return Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains. Other commitments made by Idaho, including promises to maintain refugia for wolves in remote areas and wilderness, have been rolled back. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game sent a hunter-trapper into the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness this winter to eliminate two wolf packs. It recently announced a new predator-management plan designed to kill 60 percent of the wolf population in the Middle Fork area over the next several years, and contracted with USDA’s Wildlife Services to gun down 23 wolves in the Lolo management zone in February.
“Yet again, Idaho has put a black eye on decades of tireless work to return wolves to the American landscape,” said Weiss. “This bill sets aside $400,000 in state funds to wipe out as many wolves as legally possible in Idaho. Reducing these wolf populations to below even the absolute bare minimum sets a dangerous precedent and ensures that true wolf recovery will be little more than a pipe dream in Idaho.”
In combination with mortality from annual hunting and trapping seasons, the wolf population in Idaho is under serious threat of dropping near — or even below — minimal recovery levels that Idaho promised to maintain when wolves in the northern Rockies lost federal protections in 2011. The sponsor of H.B. 470, Rep. Marc Gibbs (R-Dist. 32), says the intent of the bill is to reduce Idaho’s wolf population to as few as 10 packs.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is required by its own delisting criteria to review the population if changes in Idaho law or management objectives significantly increase the threat to the population. It must then decide whether to reinstate federal Endangered Species Act protections or extend the post-delisting period for federal oversight.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 675,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2014/wolf-03-20-2014.html
===
Photo: Dead Wolf Flickr Commons
Posted in Wolf Wars, Idaho Wolves
Tags: wolf extermination, Idaho’s brutal tactics, wolf killing board, $400,000 dedicated to killing wolves in Idaho, Governor Butch Otter, stop the wolf killing, Idaho House Bill 470, stop the madness
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 
Tears no respect for Idaho
LikeLike
How many people can we reach with a message to totally boycott Idaho? All it’s meat, produce…anything and everything that comes out of this state. Also, I don’t know who would want to vacation there, but if anybody’s vacation plans include this state…avoid it at all costs. These morons think that slaughtering wolves is right, let’s make it hard for them to meet their bills and feed their families.
.
LikeLike
Yet another dismal commentary on humanity’s inability to live cooperatively with other species. Not to mention with itself.
LikeLike
Sadly, I’m quite certain that there are people in the thousands who go through each day of their lives totally oblivious to wolves and the plight they face from organisations like the one described above. I’m doubtful if anything we say or do would change their mind. I DO however support any and all these efforts to reach them and show them the TRUE suffering of wolves and coyotes.
Glad to have you back writing again, Nabeki
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Wolf Is My Soul.
LikeLike
If Idaho had anything anybody wanted, a boycott might be successful. They don’t. I wonder how long it will take before the USF&W steps in and puts an end to this out of control, immoral kill fest. These people are terrible, and I really have to wonder about a state populace that allows their government to carry on like this to the detriment of their schools and other state programs without standing up and saying or doing something to stop it.
LikeLike
Whenever I see pics of Butch Otter, I think of him wearing a cap and bells and carrying a fool’s scepter, with that silly grin of his. 🙂
LikeLike
What kind of men actually think up these laws against wolves? What upbringing did they have or what kind of mother raised these assassins? They are definitely very disturbed and have no respect for people, animals or nature. Who puts them in those seats to make these atrocious decisions? Where are the real people to stop them from doing these cruel acts?
LikeLike
Can anyone stop them? Unfortunately a lot of Idaho’s economy is based on killing. Elk and cattle. That is where the money is. Most politicians are involved in one way or another and are lining their pockets with huge profits. If so much was made from viewing wildlife the cattle would be gone and the animals would be safe. One easy thing to boycott would be potatoes from good old Idaho. They can shove their spuds up their ass.
LikeLike
There are no words to describe how I feel hearing this news. I hate every hunter in the blood thirsty state of Idaho I wish only pain and death on them and their families. Karma comes to everyone I hope theirs comes real quick.
LikeLike
I do not own a gun. I am old. But this makes me want to use my bare hands on Idaho’s wolf haters, the hunters. I would like them eradicated.
LikeLike
Surely a concerned citizen or group of citizens could sue over misuse of funds or something? Aside from beautiful landscapes, wildlife and potatoes, that’s all Idaho has. They are proud of being one of the most backward states in the Union (if not the most backward state in the Union), and seem to want to go even further back. Don’t Idahoans care about their reputation? We in America may not be happy with the state of things, but while we continue to eat beef and guzzle gas, I’m afraid this is what we’ll get. We need to kick these guys O-U-T come election time, and that means all of them, and replace them with better leaders and lawmakers.
LikeLike
I am an Idaho resident and I testify again and again at IDF&G meetings supporting wolves. I was the only one simply called by my first name Wednesday night when the card with my name on it was called. I am on a first name basis with the IDF&G commissioners. More pro wolf people need to be that way as well. It allows me to express my views personally to individual commissioners as well as when I publically testify.
A few years ago, the wolf meetings were dominated by ranchers, hunters and trappers. Pro wolf people outnumbered the anti wolf folks by about 3 to 1 in last Wednesday’s IDF&G meeting. The solution is to keep showing up in larger numbers and to show up in large numbers at legislative committee meetings to show support for wolves.
To constantly attack everyone in Idaho just pisses people like myself off. There are some real haters on both sides of the wolf issue and some of you on this blog are as bad as the “kill them all” crowd.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No we are not. For the simple reason that we haven’t fallen to the level of killing. I see this a lot – someone who does take a stand becomes offended – but comments such as mine are not for you; they are for the one who don’t pay attention. These people need to wake up somehow. Defending those who, unlike you, do not stand up and give their names only helps the ‘kill them all’ crowd win. So if some people are insulted by that, who cares.
LikeLike
And what’s the worst offense – offending someone’s delicate sensibilities or keeping quiet while hundreds of wolves are destroyed? The poor thing with the hurt feelings will recover; the wolves will not.
LikeLike
Thank you for standing up for the wolves!!! They all the voices they can get!! Good for you,God bless, and i hope you can persuade more ranchers to stand up for wolves like you!!! Thank you again,for the wolves!!!!!
LikeLike
every month in my town we have a town hall meeting regarding the loss of cattle do to predatory animals whether it be wolves bear coyote we even talked about how our cattle get disease from other sick animals I do my best to encourage other ranchers not to see the wolf as a problematic animal more as a lifesaver we as cattle ranchers have a hard time admitting that we lose more cattle due to sick and injured diseased animals.more so then we do from wolves. one of the things I like about the wolves in Missoula is that they get rid of diseased animals to cost me a lots and lots of money I get razzed all the time at the meeting and hated on because I love the wolf alot I have set over 3000 acres aside for them to run freely on my land. I will always continue to fight for them here.
LikeLike
Well,thank you!!! And thank you for responding to my post. I wish there were more like you out there!!! God bless you!!!
LikeLike
Thank you so much trucker632927, what a wonderful change from the hate. I appreciate you taking the time to tell us that you are a friend to the wolf. Great news!!
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
LikeLike
you wouldn’t believe the amount of money I lose every year because the wolf is not around as much to get rid of the diseased animals.I find that the wolf saves me more money than cost me the pros outweigh the cons not to mention we have a lot of poaching up here in Montana.which is very much frowned upon just passing on one man’s land can cost you your life we all know that up here.we have over the last 10 years introduced the Jackass with our herds to deter bears and other predatory animals from eating our lives stock it seems to work jackasses are not very friendly when it comes to predatory animals of any kindI hope someday before I pass on the Wolves will be back on the endangered species list I wish you all the best of luck
LikeLike
That is such encouraging news Trucker, thank you for sharing, you bring a breath of fresh air to all of us. If only there were more ranchers like you who appreciated the wolf and other predators. And I know first hand Donkeys are very formidable and protective of herds. My friend has one, quite the little individual 🙂
And yes, I hope the wolves will be relisted before it’s too late for them but an even worse fate is that they now are virtually trapped in places like Idaho, Montana and the other wolf states, setting up their territories, not knowing they are in mortal danger there, only to be used as target practice. It’s almost worse than if they had never been reintroduced. And the sad thing is, wolves around Glacier came back on their own in the late 70’s and 80’s due to the ESA. Now that is all gone down the drain ):
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
LikeLike
All my respect goes to you, and to others that understand the cruelty, ignorance and harmfulness of this action. Wish to all of you the very best and the successful outcome!!!!
LikeLike
“There are some real haters on both sides of the wolf issue and some of you on this blog are as bad as the “kill them all” crowd”
Larry, I think it’s unfair to call out people who are upset and angry at all the killing, people are quite fed up and have every right to speak out about it. I personally have worked my tail off for wolves for years, it’s taken a toll on me that I will never be able to shake. To compare passionate wolf advocates to “the kill them all crowd” is out of line. That’s the problem with the pro wolf movement, we eat our own. I’ve seen it over and over again.
I’m glad pro wolf people are showing up at IDFG meetings but until and unless the Governor and his minions along with all the wolf hating legislators are replaced, nothing is going to change in Idaho. Maybe the hunters and ranchers aren’t showing up anymore because they got what they wanted.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
LikeLike
Hey my name is jon and I live in montana I am a cattle rancher trying to save as many wolves i can and I read your blog and I hope you keep up the good fight please don’t get discouraged. Even though I hunt on my land I get the same shot from others as well. All you can do is to continue to fight for the wolf god bless you.
LikeLike
Thank ou for standing up for thes poor wolves!!!MayGod bless you richly!!! We need more ranchers like you to help these poor misunderstood creatures!! To think even the poor innocent pups re tortured and killed as well sickens me,so to have someone like you on our side,thank you!!!!!
LikeLike
When is this sensless killing of our precious wolves going to stop?!!! I am sooooo furious as i am a wolf lover and it infuriates me that there are sooo many stupid people out there that cannot see just how important wolves are to our environment. i’d like them to be wolves for a day and see what it’s like to be hunted down,tortured and killed. to feel all the fear,pain and misery these poor souls go through every day. maybe then they’d see just how stupid they are being and stop,but i guess there will always be murderers out there.1 way or another. it just saddens me that the wolf may disappear forever. here in PA the game commission has been rumored to be breeding wolves and coyotes together and them releasing them back in the wild. i’ve seen 2 of them,dead of course,but they are 2x as big as a wolf and no fear of humans at all!!! what are these stupid gov’t people thinking!!!! Yes we need wolves here in PA but to mix them with coyotes?! that makes an even more dangerous predator out there. but also cunning.maybe other states need to do the same thing and then these animals can then hunt hunters and kill them!!!! boy would that be a turn around!!! an eye for an eye,blood for blood. yes i realize enough blood has been spilled but it seems wolves are the ones whom pay the most and it has to stop!!!! anyone else out there think the same?
LikeLiked by 1 person
HEART BREAKING!!!
LikeLike
Who are these lawmakers – provide their addresses so we can write them.
LikeLike
Don’t bother Jimmy, they don’t care what you have to say. We’ve written, cajoled and begged them to stop this insanity in Idaho for almost five years. They hate wolves and want them gone. The only solution to save wolves is to relist them under the ESA. The politicians you should be writing to are in the US Congress, who along with Obama and Ken Salazar caused this mess by turning “management/killing” over to brutal wolf hating states like Idaho. We all predicted this would happen if wolves lost their ESA protections.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
LikeLike
Reblogged this on "OUR WORLD".
LikeLike
Live next door in Washington. Will restrain WA wolves from straying across the border,,,,
LikeLike
Nothing will happen until the hunters feel threatened. They don’t. They feel the same sick high as people on Meth. Powerful and ignorant. Idaho is the worst state in the US.
LikeLike
Idaho raises almost 100% GMO potatoes. Boycott them. I guess the GMO toxins are destroying the minds of ID legislators. Who voted for these clowns?
LikeLike
N.
My bad, I typed potatoes but I meant GMO sugar beets. There is a brag post on the Idaho Ag website about the high percentage of Monsanto’s GMO crops.
What miracle will save wolves in ID? And how strange $400,ooo to kill 500 wolves. Who is getting the cash benefit for this?
I personally think the innocence and group solidarity of wolves triggers some inverse hatred by people who have lost their soul. That includes ALEC sponsored politicians who abuse the ‘democratic’ process for the benefits of corporate fascism.
Wolf advocates, please share the need to boycott beef, Idaho products, and other products from states like WI. Boycotting purchase of any slaughterhouse animals or by products is a very simple way to not support the industry, at least one of them, driving this insanity. Please share other ways, I ll be reading.
LikeLike
I understand that suing for gross mismanagement of funds is a real good start and someone there needs to be on that now……and I appreciate that pro wolf folks outnumbered the bastards 3 to 1 in the last meeting and I thank you for speaking out for the wolves (and the fact that they know you on a first name basis)…..can you get all the pro wolf folks together and start physically blocking the hunters paths? Encircle them and outnumber them and make a human chain around the scum and stop them….if they try to do something to any of you, just defend yourselves with lethal force. STAND YOUR GROUND….
LikeLike
And what do we expect? There is a concerted effort behind this continued attack on native wild animals. The livestock/hunting industries (often one in the same) are in bed with the politicians. Until people get really angry enough to start serious campaigns and actions to stop public lands ranching, the stranglehold will continue. The Game Depts. are run by hunter and ranchers in the West. No wild animals are safe until we recognize that we have Enemies (yes, I know some cringe at this thought), and that we must draw the line and decide whose side we are on: the animals’ side or the other side. No fencing sitting will do it.
LikeLike
can’t under states step in and try to talk sense into the asshole governor of idaho? this man is out of control
LikeLike
Many people from other states and abroad are saddened and angered with the state if idaho legislation. Really these poor wolves are no threat to you guys . They are trying to survive in their natural habitat which is getting harder and harder for them poor dears. We are taking the natural land and habitat away and making harder for poor wolved to find natural sources of food to eat and now we going to kill them? They have lived hundreds if years here besidesus all along . The native american indians have luvef aling side them as well for hundreds of years the wolves are part if american history. Maybe we shiukd ssk the american indians what they think. They survived on the kand had respect fir the animals and inly killed what they needed to survive.and they said anerican indians were savage no these hunters are the savages and ignorant . If they had an ounce if education they would see what an injustice and travesty this is. And this is directed to all those elmer fudd idiots youre the savages. The mist gangerous predator on the planet is man.
LikeLike
the lifestock industry is not only a hell man-made for cows and other sentient animals, it is also an ecological disaster. as long as animals will be grasped as products, there will be no peace for wilde animals also. personally i see no differance between taking the life of billions of animals every year for eating pleasures and between killing wolves
LikeLike
Agree!
LikeLike
And the media won’t cover this because they don’t know that wolves are actually helping to Save the Planet !
If one of them could get educated in SCIENCE this would be plastered in the news…
Stand up for our ecosystems engineers !
Thank you VICE for actually covering the wolf slaughter .. In to ” kill a wolf”
Vice knows … Thank you Shane Smith you are a journalist with knowledge
LikeLike
horrible – what asswipes (nicest word I could use) ….
LikeLike
Great video on the ecological miracle wolves are responsible for in Yellowstone National Park:
LikeLike
There is a YouTube video filmed by a former Fish and Wildlife Services former employee. It details what they do to the Wolves including leaving them in traps for days and shooting them in the gut and leaving them to die. I will find this and post the link to YouTube. I am so stressed by what is happening to all of our wildlife, especially the Wolves.
LikeLike
Yes Tiggy, please post the link to the video. It’s important, though horribly tragic, that these videos exist but they serve a purpose, that is to show the torture and abuse wolves are enduring. This information needs to be disseminated to the public, with the motivation of waking them up. There is so much apathy concerning wolf persecution, or lack of knowledge it’s going on.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
LikeLike
I am so sick and tired of reading about wolf killers and haters. In 2004
we were boycotting Alaska, because they were killing wolves from air-
planes.
Now Idaho has 400.000 just to kill wolves? Govemor Otter is an idiot.
No offense Larry, but you live in a state of stupid stupid, people.
Did anyone know that Idaho has the biggest Meth problem than any
other state? They (state leaders) should spend the 400.000 on getting
meth out of Idaho, not innocent majestic, beautiful wolves.
Maybe the Govenor likes meth and smokes it before he goes out to
murder wolves……
LikeLike
what can you expect from interbred rednecks?
LikeLike
What scumbag lawmakers in Idaho.
LikeLike
Yes they are the worst of the worst Nancy!
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
LikeLike
Hey nabeki I have a question for you. I watch certain videos online on YouTube and it shows wolves attacking people could you explain to me why wolves in general would want to attack people I know it rarely happens but it was on the news couple years ago two women were jogging with their dogs please keep in mind these are things I do not share at the town hall meetings I don’t want people to get the wrong impression it just doesn’t make sense the only thing I can make of it is the fact that the two ladies that got attacked it wasn’t so much them getting attacked as it was their domestic dogs. is it safe to assume wolves view domestic dogs as prey. I personally have walked up on a pack of wolves before 9 times outta 10 they run away from you I’ve seen in the past that they have a tendency to stand their ground when there guarding a kill but I’ve never personally been attacked and I’ve seen plenty of them on my land I was just wondering what your opinion was regarding the two females being attacked.
LikeLike
Hi nabeki I took a lot of time out today from my day-to-day chores on the ranch to do some research on you.I feel like I know what you’re going through when it comes to the death threats I get quite a few of them at the town hall meeting I have to say I am very impressed with what you have done I’m glad there is a voice for the wolves you seem to have a lot of followers. this is coming from a cattle rancher who this past year has lost 16 cattle do to wolves and yet I don’t hate them like I said before they do more good than harm from my standpoint of view as a rancher I feel like mankind has invaded the wolf’s territory I tried to explain that to a lot of people in my town let nature take its course god never intended man to eradicate the wolf from the earth. let alone try to manage the wolf. we as a society are coming up with more more humane ways to deter the wolf from eating our live stock whether it’s the wolf the bear or any other predatory animal things like high pitch sounds that is disturbing to a wolf ears like fireworks going off that would disturb your dog. I do everything in my power as a cattle rancher to preserve the way of life for the wolf here in Missoula Montana. even though I get death threats from time to time the beautiful thing about owning your own land is when you do catch trusspass orders for poachers leaving bear traps out that not only cost me money because my cattle or other animals would get caught up in them that would cause them to slowly suffer and die. The end result is now I have a diseased animal on my land and when I do catch poachers on my land believe it or not we shoot to kill. not only poaching is frowned upon out here but so is cow tipping. I know it’s hard to get through people’s heads 30 right of getting the wolf is not a good idea because a lot of people up here in the North were raised at a very young age to hate any predatory animal that could cost you money by eating your livestock. my wife and I do our best to educate the younger generation today the wolves are better left alone in peace and admire from a distance we have that opportunity because we invite people to our land to pay for horseback riding and prior to them paying to go ride a horse through the wilderness we educate them about the wilderness especially about the wolves. it really is quite an amazing sight to see wolves up close and personal in the wild doing what they do best its mother nature at its finest. I just wanted to say thank you for being a voice for the wolves.
LikeLike
There is an enormous Coyote/Wolf Hybrid that has killed one hiker in Canada. They are mating as the Wolves are gone. These Coyotes are NOT Wolves. The Wolves have been blamed for stealing livestock (healthy) and mind you a pack of normal Coyotes can bring an adult horse down and kill it. My friend had a Coyote get into her barn and they were not deterred by her dogs but by her pet Wolf which she got from an illegal Wolf Puppy Mill. The normal Coyotes are terrified of Wolves. I don’t believe for a minute that Wolves got this livestock because they were healthy animals.
LikeLike
Hi Trucker,
You’ve said some great things about wolves but my antennae is starting to go up concerning a few comments you’ve made in your last two posts.
First you said “this is coming from a cattle rancher who this past year has lost 16 cattle do to wolves “
Since there were just 50 confirmed cattle losses to wolves this year in Montana I’m finding it a little hard to believe that 16 of those losses were on your ranch. Out of 2.5 million cows in Montana, anywhere from 40,000 to 60,000 cows are lost to non-predation, so wolf attack numbers are so minuscule they barely register.
Secondly the other thing you want to talk about are wolf attacks on people, specifically two women? They’re been two fatal wolf attacks in North America in the last 100 years and both were controversial. One was a teacher in Alaska and another a Canadian man whose death was first blamed on bears. Wolves rarely ever attack people but I think you probably know that. So I’m not sure where this is all headed. 1000 people are killed each year in hunting accidents in the US and Canada. Dogs fatally maul at least 30 people per year and bite about 4.5 million annually.
So I’m taking your posts with a little skepticism now.
For the wolves, For the wild ones,
Nabeki
LikeLike
Now,as i’ve been reading some of these posts,it seems that some kind hearted ranchers and even truckers are taking a stand FOR the wolves,and we need to thank them for it!!! Any personthat hasthe guts to speak out for wolves is a friend in my eyes!!! Just be thankful there are people like these guys willing to put their reputation on the line!!! God bless you guys richly,and thank you for speaking out for the wolves!!!
LikeLike
Please stop every animal has a purpose
LikeLike