Echo
Shock, shock! Once again the “coyote excuse” is used by a trophy hunter to dodge any charges for killing an endangered wolf. The Utah hunter who senselessly gunned down Echo won’t be held accountable for her death because according to the USFWS:
“We didn’t find anything to refute the hunter’s statement,” Rolince said.
Prosecutors tasked with making the final decision didn’t have evidence to prove the hunter knew he was shooting a wolf, meaning they fell short of reaching the burden created by the long-standing McKittrick policy, said U.S. attorney’s office spokeswoman Melodie Rydalch.
Under that policy, hunters who kill wolves get off unless authorities can prove they knew they were shooting a wolf.
So let me get this straight, the USFWS will not hold this person accountable for killing an endangered wolf because they can’t prove he didn’t know it was a coyote? Are they freaking kidding me? How many times will the “coyote excuse” be used to kill endangered wolves? There is no way to tell if a person is lying about this. Of course he’s going to try to save his own skin by saying he didn’t know it was a wolf. The “coyote excuse” is used all the time.
This coyote killing hunter didn’t just kill any wolf but the first wolf to disperse to the Grand Canyon in 70 years. This wolf didn’t belong to him. This hunter robbed the American people, he seemed to think it was his right to kill. And I don’t believe for one second he didn’t know it was a wolf. Wolves are distinctive, they’re large and tall, easily distinguishable from coyotes. And BTW, it’s not OK to kill coyotes either.
How about this USFWS, if anyone shoots an endangered wolf they get jail time period! Forget the excuses!
This is why the USFWS wants to delist wolves nationally, so hunters can shoot any wolf, anytime, anywhere. This will stop wolf recovery in its tracks. Exactly what the USFWS and Obama administration wants.
Echo was special, she traveled hundreds of miles to reach the Grand Canyon, searching for a mate and was murdered by a trophy hunter.
The USFWS is a joke when it comes to wolves. They’ve done almost nothing to protect them. A complete disgrace.
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SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah hunter who killed the first gray wolf seen near the Grand Canyon in seven decades won’t face criminal charges because he thought he was shooting a coyote, U.S. Fish and Wildlife announced Thursday.
The federal agency’s investigation concluded the hunter didn’t intentionally shoot the wolf, which is protected in Utah under the Endangered Species Act. The man, whose name was not released, realized his mistake after he saw the dead animal and immediately reported it to authorities, according to a news release. In Utah, anybody can hunt coyotes.
The 3-year-old female wolf — named “Echo” in a nationwide student contest — captured the attention of wildlife advocates across the county because it was so rare to see the animal near the Grand Canyon.
The wolf was shot in December in southern Utah. The Fish and Wildlife Service did DNA tests to confirm the wolf was the one seen roaming near the Grand Canyon’s North Rim and nearby forest earlier that year.
Fish and Wildlife officials said in the release that the case is a good reminder that all hunters should “identify their target before pulling the trigger.”
Investigators spoke with a hunter the man was with, reviewed other records and went in with their “eyes wide open” to make sure the man was being honest in saying he didn’t know it was a wolf, said Dan Rolince, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service assistant special agent in charge of law enforcement for the region.
“We didn’t find anything to refute the hunter’s statement,” Rolince said.
Prosecutors tasked with making the final decision didn’t have evidence to prove the hunter knew he was shooting a wolf, meaning they fell short of reaching the burden created by the long-standing McKittrick policy, said U.S. attorney’s office spokeswoman Melodie Rydalch.
Under that policy, hunters who kill wolves get off unless authorities can prove they knew they were shooting a wolf.
That makes the burden of proof too high and undercuts the protections of the Endangered Species Act, said Michael Robinson with the Center for Biological Diversity. He is one of many wildlife advocates who called the wolf’s death heartbreaking and said they wanted the hunter prosecuted. They said the animal could have helped wolves naturally recover in remote regions of Utah and neighboring states.
Robinson argues the policy should be changed.
“You can get a ‘Get out of jail free card’ by saying the magic words,” Robinson said. “Those are: ‘I thought it was coyote.'”
Robinson also laid blame on Utah state officials for not doing more to inform the public that the wolf may be roaming through the state.
State officials have said they are planning to address that by teaching hunters how to tell the difference between a wolf and a coyote during an orientation for a county program that offers people $50 per coyote. The man who shot this wolf was not registered for the program, officials said.
The wolf had worn a radio collar since January 2014.
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Killing Echo: The “Mistaken Identity” Excuse, Part One
February 27, 2015
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Killing Echo/Killing Wolves: – “Mistaken Identity and Other Excuses: Part Two
March 4, 2015
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Photo: Courtesy NPS
Posted in: gray wolf, Wolf Wars
Tags: USFWS fails Echo, “coyote excuse”, no punishment for killing Echo, Grand Canyon, senseless slaughter, Utah trophy hunter
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Doesn’t the USA have any wild areas where humans may only go to look? The Federal government should make sure that there are wildlife parks, where no hunting what-so-ever is allowed. It will not only save the wildlife, but also all flora. It would also become a good tourist attraction.
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And there are those who ask “What’s wrong with killing coyotes?”
Well first off, you’re killing something (or endorsing killing something) for no reason whatsoever.
And secondly: this.
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Like wolves, coyotes are biological diversity and bio means, “life”, the very species that are in the business of life itself aboard Earth. While the wolf is the most vital, necessary species in America and is a keystone species, the coyote is also a strand in the web of all life. Several scientific studies indicate, where we have coyotes, Earth has more bird biological diversity. So, evidently, coyotes are the salvation of Earth’s birds.
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I wish there was a way to have every last government official watch this film. Maybe..somebody or somebodies might get the message. Is there a way?
http://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/how-wolves-change-rivers/
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I suppose he didn’t see the collar? Well, gun and hunting permits are now being issued to the blind, so….
These people know how to play the game – shoot a wolf, make sure you report it to the F&W agency, and then plead ignorance (what a stretch).
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These dim bulbs running around in the woods with guns can’t seem to tell the difference between a coyote and a wolf, a deer and an elk, a cougar and a bobcat, a moose and a horse. If it has four legs, it wants killing.
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Even wearing orange does not protect them from one another. Hunting season was always heel in the mountains, with jeepfuls of armed men cruising.
Here’s an article whose headline says it all:
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article26995669.html
Red wolf debacle shows US Fish and Wildlife Service missing spine
The Red Wolf, btw lives now on two SMALL wildlife refuges on a peninsula at the east end of NC, and cannot disperse.
But back to echo – I was once in prison for a crime committed by the US government and hundreds of thousands of its slave army; there I discovered that the proper response to death threats and violent aggression is to escalate. If you believe that the dominance-seeking ranchers, thrill-killers, politicians, etc. are an iota different, you are gravely mistaken.
This is why I keep saying: Outlaw guns. Remove grazing from public lands, Right now, they are too politically powerful, and require proper subjugation until they are at a level equal with their destructive psychopathy – they need to be regarded as they truly are: and relegated to the social status of violent and abusive corrupt criminals.
When ranchers begin to use the nonlethal methods now available, and cease to agitate for the death of native species (they want elk removed, as well as wolves, pumas, griz, coyote); they also want to prevent the recovery of the bison), ONLY then can ranching be accepted – its roots, after all were in largely English wealthy grabbing free grazing in the west after the bison were killed, indians removed, and railroads intruded.
There is NO hope for either peace, justice, or wolves, unless guns are completely eliminated from the hands of humans. Start wherever you want on that, and don’t ever stop. I was just in the northern Sierra, handling weapons that can accurately kill from nearly 3/4 mile away. At present these custom weapons, available from sport shops – with parts that make them unbelievably accurate – and internet. Fortunately, they total out to over 3000 dollars at the moment, but you KNOW their price will come down. That distance is beyond animals’ ability to detect danger, even though many animals now remove themselves from sight as soon as humans are detectable (this is why you don’t see wolves. They ran along with Lewis & Clark, as they knew they would get carrion, but being the first white men in the west, aside from the coast, Clark said something like “saw wolves, beautiful creatures, killed one…”
Compromise with those people was Obama’s strategy to get votes – instead, he just materially assisted in the murder you see today, for “practical” reasons.
If you want to be practical, please do not pretend to be on the side of wolf. Their death is all you will continue to achieve. Let the large wealthy nonprofits speak compromisingly, and perhaps save a few.
Look up Rod Coronado on the news – his group is doing something that is generating publicity, and publicity for letting wolves live, will alert the vast majority – 69 to 85% of US residents polled in different states. When the issue is really on their radar, they will help move toward tolerance – you CANNOT tolerate the intolerant.
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more lies told by our government Obama has two more long years to go and another President will not secure our wildlife, the government is bought off by big business . People who love wolves and wildlife in general must struggle with the likes of hunters like this, this is an so wrong.
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Killing coyotes should not be an excuse, as if that is perfectly okay. But asking a hunter to pay for killing is asking to much when the wildlife service is one of the biggest killers, either directly or by permitting the endless hunting, trapping, and poisoning. Until those of us who care about wild animals (how about ALL lives matter), achieve big enough numbers, organization, and funding, I fear that the destruction and death will go unabated.
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This weakness in the law needs to be closed, otherwise it will be constantly exploited to kill wolves. No killing wolves or coyotes, especially in areas where they are both know to coexist. At least in the places where they are known to coexist. But, we have unlimited freedoms in this country to do whatever we want without any kind of restriction whatsoever – our inalienable rights to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, killing wildlife and gun ownership.
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I AM SO GLAD I DON’T LIVE IN THE USA. FROM A BRITS POINT OF VIEW ITS TOO GUN CRAZY AND KILLING ANIMALS SEEMS T BE ACCEPTABLE. I THINK THIS IS A DISGRACE . WE HAVE ENOUGH PROBLEMS WITH THE FOX HUNTING BUT WE DO GO ON PROTESTS AND WE NEVER GIVE UP. THE WOLVES ARE SO BEAUTIFUL AND THE COYOTES AND HOW ANYONE WOULD EVER CONTEMPLATE MURDERING THEM IS BEYOND MY COMPREHENSION. I S/S THE PETITIONS YOU HAVE IF I’M ALLOWED TO AND I KNOW THAT THOUSANDS OF US IN THE UK ARE WITH YOU .
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Thank you, America is too gun crazy I think. We love you Brits! 🙂
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The “coyote excuse” is not believable because the wolf, ECHO, was wearing a radio collar! DIANE M. KASTEL AND FAMILY WHEATON, IL
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Reblogged this on Exposing the Big Game.
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What a bunch of SHIT. I am so sick of the “Feds” So I guess its ok to go around & hunt the hunters.? I thought he was a bear or moose. Such bullshit.
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How many Wolf Lovers went to the court house and demanded justice? How many Wolf Lovers Protested? Thats what it takes to get Justice for our wolves.
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What a crock of bullshit!! This is so terrible and unjust that it’s hard to believe it’s actually reality! An animal is a sentiment being! This is murder and this person should be doing tie in prison!
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After all these months I still cannot believe that Echo is dead, and I have no words to express my outrage over the lack of a prosecution on her killer! Rest in Peace, our poor Grand Canyon Queen, and I am so sorry that you did not receive the justice you deserved!
Robinson hit the nail on the head with the magic words quote, and I’m still not buying that “I thought it was a coyote” excuse! Those wolf-haters are endlessly complaining about the giant Canadian Gray Wolves, and now all of a sudden they claim that this wolf could not be distinguished from a coyote due to her small size? You can’t have it both ways: either the Canadian Gray Wolf is not as large as you claim, or you knew that you were shooting a wolf and are just trying to get away with it by using the “I though it was a coyote” excuse! So which one is it?
And as a side note: they seem to use that “I thought it was a coyote” excuse as though it is perfectly acceptable to kill a coyote, which is disgusting! Coyotes are intelligent, sentiment beings that deserve to be treated with respect! I’m sick and tired of people shooting coyotes on sight as vermin!
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Coyotes look different than wolves AND they don’t wear collars! Echo’s killer can say he didn’t know the difference between the two species but he should have been able to ID the large, bulky tracking collar around her neck. Close the loophole so the wolf killers get what they have coming to them. In the meantime, how about lie detector tests?
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But why? Why does anyone want to kill a wolf or coyote? Keep your livestock off Federal land, and leave the wildlife alone, problem solved. When I read about jerks like the one who killed Echo, and the FWS worker who let his dogs attack the wolf in a trap, I just see red. I would give anything to see these people dead, and that’s not the Christian way. The idiots getting paid to kill our wildlife should have to pay for the murder of these beautiful animals. I just watched the Jim and Jaimie Dutcher story of Living With Wolves. Absolutely amazing! Please watch if you can. You’ll see a side of wolves you wouldn’t imagine possible. We have to stop killing them. They are meant to live in the forests and mountain sides. They are essential to the life of our planet.
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You are such kind people the most of you, speaking for these majestic animals, thank you
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My poor majestic baby, your death didn’t teach anything to them. My tears do not permit me to continue.
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Once again evil wins.
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what a fucked up piece of shit story from the hunter that killed echo. the fucking people running this country should hang their heads in shame. sorry for my poddy mouth peeps
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Angry and mourning with the rest of you of course.
When the natural world is viewed as other than the sacred, we have a major bit of dysfunction going on on this planet.
It’s going to take the whole show down for us humans here directly.
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Corruption…starting from the Feds right on down to the US Fish & Wildlife Service & the National Park Service. These agencies couldn’t care less about wolves or any other species because they are run by special interest groups related to the hunting lobby and ranchers.
The only way we are ever going to stop this senseless slaughter is to completely obliterate the current policy makers of these wildlife agencies (made up primarily of hunters) and replace them with responsible ecologists and scientists that will manage our wildlife with non lethal means when necessary.
It’s 2015 and 93% of the American public is non hunting and since wildlife belongs to everyone, it’s time for the majority to over rule the minority and abolish hunting to the dust bins of history where it rightfully belongs!
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93% of the American public is non hunting, yet the mere 7% of the idiot morons that kill for “sport” have all the say when it comes to dictating wildlife policy and addressing serious issues.
Since our constitution claims that wildlife belongs to all of us, why does the minority rule and the majority that reels against this senseless killing get constantly ignored?
Time for a change and that starts with replacing all the corrupt wildlife officials (all hunters) that run these wildlife agencies with responsible ecologists that don’t view animals as some sort of ridiculous renewable resource like coal and iron.
People need to keep these issues in the spotlight and we have to fight on relentlessly because I do believe in the long run common sense and the majority will prevail.
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We agree with Linda, we also live in the UK but have visited Yellowstone many times to view magnificent wolves. Yet again a charismatic wolf has been murdered by a mindless moron. 06 the Rock Star wolf was killed at the end of 2012, we were lucky to see her in 2012, and were so sad to learn of her death. Do these idiot hunters not realise how much money tourism generates for these areas, due to the reintroduction of the wolves.
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Sadden, outraged and not surprised by this outcome.
My soul weeps for beloved Echo, may you finally be running free and happy.
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Under that policy, hunters who kill wolves get off unless authorities can prove they knew they were shooting a wolf.
How are you ever going to prove that? What a rigged system; they’ve got it all figured out don’t they. Unless you use entrapment – what a lovely thought. Literally. 🙂
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Anyone who cannot tell a collared wolf from a coyote should not be allowed to hunt or be granted a hunting license. What else does he not know a horse from a cow or deer. Saying sorry and using poor eyesight as an excuse does not wash with me and should not have been accepted as an excuse. What good does that do ECHO and all the people that were trying to help her..This person should NOT be allowed to have ANY guns.
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What a lousy excuse for killing a treasured animal!
That means it is O.K. to kill a Grizzly Bear because you thought it was a black bear. It would also be O.K. to kill a Bull Trout because you thought it was a Rainbow.
It is the hunters and fisherman’s responsibility to be educated about the animals that they are after and know the differences in them.
If they are unable to identify the animals, they should not be allowed a permit.
There is no excuse for IGNORANCE!
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Absolutly agree iwth you TONI
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Killing unacceptable. Shame.
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