A Legend, OR4, Was Shot To Death!

A Eulogy for OR-4

Mar 31, 2016 | Rob Klavins

We met three times, but I imagine that I barely registered in his life.

To him I was no more than an occasional scent on his trail or the source of a tortured imitation of a howl.

But to me, no nonhuman animal ever has been or likely ever will be as important or consequential in my life as OR4.

He escaped kill orders and poachers. He endured at least 4 collarings and he beat the odds. There aren’t many ten year old wolves out there. Today there is one less.

OR4 was shot and killed today. And it hurts. Anyone celebrating his death, the killing of his likely pregnant partner, and two of his pups, must have a hardened heart indeed.

He became a symbol for those who revere wolves as well as for those who hate them and hate the wild. Even some of the most cynical wolf haters paid him begrudging respect.

He was imperfect. He challenged us. He was loud. But he was tough and he was tenacious. He was resilient, and he was a good father.

OR4 and his partners OR2 and a wolf known as “Limpy” leave behind an unparalleled legacy. His offspring include OR7, the first pups in California in nearly a century, OR3, and wolves both known and unknown quietly living their lives and retaking their rightful place on the Oregon landscape.

He never set paw in Salem or DC, but for better and worse, he had more impact on policy and politics than any animal I know of other than Cecil the Lion.

He also leaves behind questions. Lots of questions. Questions about our future – the future of his offspring…and ours.

Above all, as I heard the helicopter take off near my home this morning, I wondered if our society will leave room for the wild on the landscape…and in our hearts.

Despite his collars and dayglo ear tags, OR4 was wild.

OR4 is dead, and we killed him.

But we’ll keep fighting for his legacy as imperfectly and tenaciously as he did.

The story of Oregon’s biggest and baddest wolf didn’t end in “happily ever after”. But the story for wolves and those of us who value the wild is still not fully written. It’s a new chapter. I’m no starry-eyed optimist. So I’ll stubbornly cling to hope and tenacity.

The alternative is surrender. OR4 was no quitter. And we shouldn’t be either.

He was loud.

And he was annoying to those who hate the wild. We should be too.

===

This is a post I did in September 2011, when OR4 had a kill order out on him over a few supposed cattle deaths. The purpose of the post was to point out the absolute lunacy and hysterics that play out over wolves. Oregon ranchers lost tens of thousands of cows that year to non predation yet they were screaming to the high heavens about a few livestock losses to wolves. It’s absolute madness. Wolves aren’t even the main predator of cattle, coyotes and dogs are. But because they despise wolves and want to portray them in the worst possible light, OR4 was slated to die and now, 5 years later they slaughter a 10 year old wolf and his family in the most cowardly of fashions. I hope Oregon is happy with itself because we all know that “wolf management” in Oregon is all about keeping the ranchers happy .

OR4 was OR7’s father. They were both legends,

I say this sincerely to all wolf advocates. Please consider cutting beef out of your diet. The single biggest reason wolves are dying is because of the ranching industry. They use Wildlife Services as their personal wolf killing service. Wolves are harangued and harassed their entire lives, they have to wear horrible tracking collars, they’re constantly tracked and bothered all because of cows.

I don’t like to preach but ranching  and cows are getting wolves killed.

===

51,200 Dead Oregon Cows Not Killed By Wolves! Where’s The Media?

Imnaha Pack Alpha Male OR4

September 28, 2011
===
Ok, 51,200 cows died in Oregon in 2010 from non-predation causes. (NASS 2010) This should be front page news, right? When wolves are involved in miniscule livestock losses they make the front pages of local media. So what about those 51,200 cows that weren’t killed by wolves? Talk about making a mountain out of a mole-hill or big fish stories, this is the mother of all big fish stories. ODFW is planning on killing the alpha male (pictured above) and another wolf from the Imnaha Pack, for livestock losses so small, they barely register statistically. Yet incredibly large numbers of cows drop dead in Oregon every year and all we hear are “crickets”

READ MORE: 

https://howlingforjustice.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/51200-dead-oregon-cows-not-killed-by-wolves-wheres-the-media/

===

Posted in: Oregon wolves, Wolf Wars

Photo: OdFW

Tags: OR4, wolf management/wolf slaughter, Oregon, a legend is killed, Rob Klavins, Oregon Wild

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53 CommentsLeave a comment

  1. It never ceases to amaze me how depraved humanity is towards other species. I am so disgusted and sick right now. You were too good for this world wild one. I hope there is a better place than this place ruled by two legged monsters.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. The more of these senseless, cruel, self serving wolf killings that read about, the more find myself despising humans. God did not create man to destroy HIS animals (read Psalm 50 — they all belong to God) but to care for them. WHEN did mankind decide that it was our place to kill animals in order to make some individual’s life easier? More importantly, WHY? My heart aches for OR-4 and his family members who were killed, needlessly and by very sinful, cold hearted people.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I AGREE

      Like

  3. disgusted w,the human race, or should I say inhumane race

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Heart-breaking – fury-inducing….sometimes I can’t stand humans!

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Why, beautiful wolf – OR4, did someone have to kill you? My heart aches and I feel sick and sad, when reading about how you, a proud and very capable wolf, a truly free spirit, were shot.
    I am not like you, I am not loud by nature, but for you I will try to be loud and tenacious, when it comes to fighting for the lives and rights of wolves, where I live. That is my promise to you! I hope, you have found a better place!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. what a terrible, sad lost! I can only wish ill on those and their families that SAUGHTERED OR4, OR2, and their pups. when a blood line it taken without remorse, because one can kill. I can only wish upon them and their families a 10 fold return.
    America has just lost another wolf legend one that cannot be replace. His killers are blood thirsty cowards, their names should be known, so the world can scorn them, and see them for what they are, murderers! RIP OR 4 and your family ,may your killer not enjoy their lives ever again!

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  7. Those who will not slip beneath
    the still surface on the well of grief
    turning downward through its black water
    to the place we cannot breath
    will never know the source from which we drink,
    the secret water, cold and clear,
    nor find in the darkness glimmering
    the small round coins
    thrown by those who wished for something else.

    — David Whyte

    Liked by 3 people

  8. Need to ban the inbreeds from such needless killing.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Everyone said it better than I, but I just can’t understand why they would kill him, or any other animal that crosses their path. Cold hearted is a kind phrase for these killers.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Touch the earth, love the earth, her plains, her valleys, her hills, and her seas; rest your spirit in her solitary places. For the gifts of life are the earth’s and they are given to all, and they are the songs of birds at daybreak, Orion and the Bear, and the dawn seen over the ocean from the beach.

    When the Pleiades and the wind in the grass are no longer a part of the human spirit, a part of very flesh and bone, man becomes, as it were a kind of cosmic outlaw, having neither the completeness and integrity of the animal nor the birthright of a true humanity.

    We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals. Remote from universal nature, and living by complicated artifice, man in civilization surveys the creature through the glass of his knowledge and sees thereby a feather magnified and the whole image in distortion. We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth.
    -Henry Beston quote

    Rest in Peace Great Wild Ones.
    -Grandma

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  11. Wow. Not surprising.

    But it will only make the wolf advocates fight harder and scream louder. They’ll have to shut me up the same way.

    RIP, OR-4. You will not die in vain.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I think my comment might be stuck in spam? On April 1, 2016 at 11:56 am grandmagregg said:Your comment is awaiting moderation.Touch the earth, love the earth, her plains, her valleys, her hills, and her seas; rest your spirit in her solitary places. For the gifts of life are the earth’s and they are given to all, and they are the songs of birds at daybreak, Orion and the Bear, and the dawn seen over the ocean from the beach.When the Pleiades and the wind in the grass are no longer a part of the human spirit, a part of very flesh and bone, man becomes, as it were a kind of cosmic outlaw, having neither the completeness and integrity of the animal nor the birthright of a true humanity.We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals. Remote from universal nature, and living by complicated artifice, man in civilization surveys the creature through the glass of his knowledge and sees thereby a feather magnified and the whole image in distortion. We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth. -Henry Beston quoteRest in Peace Great Wild Ones. -Grandma

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  12. “The only difference between a dog, cat, horse and dolphin and a cow, chicken, pig and turkey is perception. One is no more valuable than another. And yet in this culture, we hold the former animals in high esteem and the latter we brutalize for food. All animals are deserving of respect and freedom from violence. The way to respect others is veganism.”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtWO83pf3Mc

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  13. Why, was it at the behest of F&W’s Lords and Masters, a lying sack of a cattle rancher?

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  14. “The only difference between a dog, cat, horse and dolphin and a cow, chicken, pig and turkey is perception. One is no more valuable than another. And yet in this culture, we hold the former animals in high esteem and the latter we brutalize for food. All animals are deserving of respect and freedom from violence. The way to respect others is veganism.”

    Liked by 1 person

    • Vast difference occur in animals. Only wild, native species, like wolves and dolphins, are biodiversity and bio means, “life”. The wolf is not only biodiversity, he is a vital keystone species and is totally in charge of his chunk of planet Earth. Biodiversity is the work force and job-holders in the economy of life itself on Earth. It isn’t wild lands, wild, native species and Earth’s natural surfaces; it is planet Earth, the Earth that generates and delivers every single lifeline mankind has for life itself. Dr. Wilson maintains, their extinctions are more dangerous for Earth and humankind than climate change. They are literally the strands in the web of all life.

      Conversely, introduced, transported species, scientifically, invasives are immense planet Earth-killers, like the European cattle, today’s horses transported from Spain, dogs, cats and pigs. Cattle are the “hooved locust”, immense destruction to planet Earth. Science refers to natural and wild portions of planet Earth as ecosystems. An ecosystem can only flow so much life-support, so much food, water and life, and this should be preserved for biodiversity, alone. Conservation Biology’s, “Evil Quartet”: habitat loss and fragmentation; over harvesting; introduced predators [the domestic cat] and competitors [cattle, free range chickens, the Spanish horse]. Introduced, transported invasives have no natural ecological checks and balances like biodiversity and perform no ecological services for planet Earth.

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      • You are so right, Tess, thanks for your comments on the differences between the Domestication of the Planet and what is truly left of The Wild. Most of this poor planet is domesticated, by humans who are also domesticated. Humans have run rough-shod over the planet, and the human species, along with other domestic species, are overpopulated.
        While non-meat eating is certainly the way to go, this alone, will not solve the planet’s problems.
        Whenever a discussion like this comes up, there always is someone who says “just become vegan.” There are other problems which require real action, on a massive scale, not just with personal eating choices.
        For instance, here in the West, public lands are grazed by domestic livestock (as you mention), destroying native grasses, riparian zones, adding to Climate Change, causing more drought, and generally making these once-wild areas Domestic Feed Lots. This is happening on National Forests, wilderness areas, BLM lands, and even National Wildlife “Refuges.”
        To make matters worse, the livestock industry (composed of ranchers, hunters & trappers), then demands that millions upon millions of native wild animals like wolves, coyotes, prairie dogs, beavers, bobcats, mountain lions, and other wildlife, be poisoned, trapped, shot, & burned out of dens.
        This massive wild slaughter has been happening since the late 1800’s, & it continues today. If one factors in how many coyotes alone have been murdered for livestock grazing on public lands, since the 1800’s, the count is in billions, not millions, particularly with the automatic weapons now used.
        Yes, be a plant-based eater. (I have been for 25 yrs.) But that is not enough. People must become “active” participants in a real Wild Life Movement, which is anti-fur, anti-hunting/trapping, and anti-public lands grazing, & Humans must stop breeding, period, whether “vegan” or not.
        Unless this happens, what is left of Nature (The Wild) will be gone–and most of life as “we” know it, will be gone. There are simply too many humans doing too many environmentally-destructive things.

        http://www.foranimals.org

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  15. Hard to believe that there are such cruel people on this planet.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Who killed OR 4?

    Justus W. Reid, Esq.

    [cid:image001.jpg@01D17312.6FCBAE40]
    222 Lakeview Avenue, Suite 1160 | West Palm Beach, FL 33401
    P. 561.659.7700 | F. 561.659.6377
    http://www.reidburmanlaw.com jwr@reidburmanlaw.com

    CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This electronic mail transmission is intended for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and privileged material. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any unauthorized review, disclosure, copying, distribution, or the taking of any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. Thank you for your cooperation.

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  17. Who shot OR-4? Conservation officers, a farmer, a wolf hunter or who?

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  18. How can anyone hate “wildness”? After all, wild lands and wild, native species are planet Earth, the Earth that provides every single lifeline mankind has for life itself. How can anyone not adore wolves as wolves are a vital keystone species, one of a handful of the most vital and necessary species on Earth.

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  19. At present Oregon wolf management policy fails to include or require sufficient nonlethal deterrent for livestock profiteers.
    This failure has now been shown to be critical.

    I get updates about depredations, and the Imnaha pack had a couple within days, and five total attributed. It is quite close to denning time..

    California’s Shasta Pack’s Breeding Female is a child of the imnaha Pack, and thus most likely OR-4. What a marvelous source – both the Rogus and Shasta Pack, and at least one other in the Southern Cascades, the new area where wolves have finally returned, if in tiny number.

    100% of livestock die young at human hands. A FAR smaller percentage of wild ungulates ever die from all combined predators before severe injury, illness, or age. The worst life imaginable for an animal is domestication.

    Just for a moment I’ll digress to “euthanasia”, as that is a pretty popular human fantasy (Dr. Kervorkian was in Oregon practice).
    I’ve personally been in a couple severe illnesses any and injuries, and I remember in EACH case, how, sometimes after avoiding giving myself further pain through inappropriate movement, I experienced joy in life so extreme, that I would NEVER seek someone to execute me , no matter how I felt, even with closed eyes and avoiding movement or even full breathing.

    So I submit to each of you, that you have NO right whatsoever to make decisions on another being’s death, unless you yourself require it as food.

    NO self-righteousness is appropriate from ANYONE who commits euthanasia upon another. Life and death are bound and intimate. If you believe that your time is impinged upon, or your emotions, or your evaluation, I recommend that you study more deeply wolves, ungulates, or other wild animals. They will either remain with the dying in a considerate manner, or bid goodbye, or just travel on. I lived with a wolf on his terms, experiencing his infinite integrity, and all he asked in and for the bond he chose, was complete respect for that integrity.

    MANY human notions are falsehood and aberration so vile, that they are to be rejected utterly.
    To kill in revenge for financial harm, especially when numerous governmental and nonprofit organizations are willing to recompense for depredation, is of even greater immorality, unredeemable.
    If the rancher(s) cannot be bought out, the proper thing to do is to act to remove them from their position socially.

    Unfortunately the Obama administration has stepped up efforts to gain export markets for cattle, a step in opposition to restoring the US West to the healthy, resilient, massively productive wildlife-filled land it once was, with diverse ungulates, predators, flora, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects. The Earth does NOT exist for humans to overwhelm and overpopulate.

    Oregon must mandate stronger nonlethal conflict prevention, so long as govt. subsidizes ranching. The tech is available, the support as well.

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    • You always have the most uplifting and focused posts – you’re right – the Obama administration is woefully deficient in anything ecologically or wildlife/animal welfare related. And everyone he appoints. Sally Jewell is still harping on getting underprivileged kids into the National Parks, and I don’t think she has accomplished even that to any great degree during her dismal time as Interior Secretary. I personally think she’s just about the worst one we’ve ever had. I don’t think she’s ever concentrated on anything solely wildlife related in and of itself, unless it pertains to human interests in some way. She just doesn’t get it. For that reason, I think she’s the worst Interior Secretary we’ve ever had. The others may have been bad, but at least they get what their job is. I shudder to think what will be unveiled for Yellowstone Park’s centennial celebration.

      But thankfully, nothing lasts forever, and this Administration is ending in November. YAY!!!!! I have a bottle of Perrier-Jouet just waiting in the fridge. Then the party will be over in many ways for these animal abusers.

      I wish the welfare ranching states and the government agencies that cater to and support them would enter the 21st century at some point. The majority of people want wolves, bison, sage grouse, coyotes, and others left unmolested on the landscape.

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      • You are correct. Obama is the worst environmental prez since Ronny Reagan; however, he first appointed a cattle or “hooved locust” lover or rancher as his first Secretary of the DOI, a rabid wolf-hater, worse even than Sally. Yes, Obama appointed the fox to guard the hen house. Reagan’s secretary of the DOI claimed trees caused smog. [Trees release oxygen, sequester carbon dioxide for Earth, transpire the climate cooling water cycle and create and renew a living soil.] Ironically, the wolf is the salvation of Earth’s trees and plants. Obama delisted wolves and has refused to list four bird species for protection under the ESA, four species that need protection asap. Traditionally, progressives and liberals have been America’s planet Earth advocates, but not Obamareagan.

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      • With the choices that we have in the on coming election, whether republican or democrat, there will always be a fight. At this point I am even cautious of the Democrats. For the Wild Ones, for the spirits of those who have died and live on in our hearts, and for those who are still with us.

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  20. Nabeki posted: “A Eulogy for OR-4 Mar 31, 2016 | Rob Klavins We met three times, but I imagine that I barely registered in his life. To him I was no more than an occasional scent on his trail or the source of a tortured imitation of a howl”

    Like

  21. Thank you Rob Klavins, for your wonderful article. I agree, the Livestock Industry is the main culprit here in most wildlife slaughter. Here in NM, the livestock grazing is ubiquitous on public lands, and these rancher/moochers do it for next-to-nothing fees. Many of these ranchers are also connected to the hunting/trapping special interests, and many ranchers actually hunt and trap as well.
    Until we “wild life” people get serious about getting domestic livestock off ALL PUBLIC LANDS, nothing will change, except the wild animal slaughter will only get worse.

    http://www.foranimals.org

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  22. I stare straight ahead, not blinking, tear soaked cheeks, quivering bottom lip, but my love for OR4 and all the ones who have gone before him, and the ones we are still blessed to have will never waver. My heart and soul feels their pain. My prayers are sent to all that are still with us…and those who aren’t. God bless you OR4.

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    • If there were a god OR4 would not be dead right now. Save your prayers. They do ZERO good. War, terrorism, poverty, starvation, rape, murder, disease… not to mention the senseless killing of wolves and other wildlife. To think some god somewhere created all of this to watch us all kill each other is utterly ignorant.

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  23. Ms. Brown; Ms. Jewell; Dan Ashe; and most other republicans should be removed from office and dropped by helicopter as far away from civilization as possible, with nothing on but a suit and a pair of shoes. Maybe by the time they reached home they would understand the voice of the public and do what the people are asking. OR4, his mate, and 2 pups, you are now with the Almighty, enjoy the freedom from fear. Know that those who are harming the others or planning to, shall be always be looking over their shoulder. R.I.P. beautiful one. Remember you and yours were greatly loved, and will do everything possible to keep the others safe.

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  24. Even more infuriating that this is “just another day at the office” for those that orchestrated his death and killed him. He was an object, nothing but garbage and they think nothing of it or any other creature on their hit list.

    I’ve heard the line of: “It’s how people live out here”
    What? Like entitled arrogant free range psychopaths? No pity, no remorse, hell even find the act of killing and torturing amusing or a means to stroke the ego. No. That is not acceptable behaviour, that’s not what evolved humans do.
    (With all due respect to those who aren’t psychotic animal killers)

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    • john, I’m as angry and upset as you are. This was absolutely an abominable act. To aerial gun a 10 year old wolf and his poor mate, who was crippled, along with their two pups is something I can’t imagine anyone with an ounce of decency doing. What kind of job is that, killing animals for a living? They are disgusting but it’s not just OR4 it’s all the wolves who’ve suffered the same fate!

      For the wolves, For OR4 and his family,
      Nabeki

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    • Nebeki: My comments were directed to “Connie’s” comments: …”WE HERE IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA HAVE LARGE PACKS OF COYOTES AND THEY KILL OUR DOGS AND EVEN HAVE SNAGGED SMALL CHILDREN UNATTENDED….”
      I don’t think you would write this…..

      http://www.foranimals.org

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      • Howls Rosemary,

        I have to look into this. Was this attributed to me? I certainly would never write that. I’ll go back over the comments and delete it.

        For the wolves, For the wild ones,
        Nabeki

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  25. I suppose having a hunting season immediately after the delisting would not look at all good, but an aerial killing under the guise of livestock depredation would be ok. Although they wiped out a pack for a rancher once before. Any assurances given to us that ODFW would manage wolves properly is now out the window, isn’t it. I wish that they would act as quickly for wildlife advocates! As it stands, all of the government agencies work for ranching and hunting interests. I’m done supporting them. Scum of the earth, all around – both ranchers and their government bootlickers.

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    • You summed it up ida. Wolves and wildlife advocates have no voice. They’ve silenced us along with the wolves.

      For the wolves, For OR4 and his family,
      Nabeki

      Like

  26. Heart breaking.

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  27. What do you call the animal that rides in a helicpter and kills an animal that is smarter than them. An ASS HOLE ! Thanx buddy – your a real hero ….. wish i could repay the injustice that you have shown to all of us you pc. of trash .

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  28. Thanks to the Governor of Oregon these historic and majestic animals have been needlessly killed for no good reason. I hope she is haunted by the howls of the adult wolves and cries if the pups until it drives her insane…oh, wait; she was already insane to go against the wishes if the majority to satisfy her money-hungry cattlemen who aren’t responsible enough to use the available non-lethal methods of deterring wolves. I sincerely hope she chokes on the next T-bone one of her friends honor her with. We have got to get politicians like her replaced with goid, caring people or this country will never again be known as the greatest country on earth. These people fill me with hatred and disdain. May she and her cronies in the killing machines burn in hell for all of eternity.

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  29. Horrific, no hope, from sadness to madness, please someone to stop the murderers.

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  30. Reblogged this on tvassila.

    Like

  31. I never thought Oregon would go down this path ranchers or no ranchers , Oregon turned out to be as bad as Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming , this is total madness , they must act for wildlife not against it and do the will of the ranching industry. I will say Sanders will be the best for wildlife and the wolves , he will get somebody who has ethics in the spot of secretary of interior. But sites like this must go on to get the word out about the hold that the cattle industry has on our wildlife and our agencies that takes planes to run down our wolves and kill them with ease. We must get ranchers and hunters off of the wildlife boards , who make up these acts to kill our wolves in planes and go to extremes in wilderness area’s to trap these wolves and other creatures who get caught in these traps. I believe it was about 5 years ago that traps were used again , I think they were outlawed for sometime. WE s a country are going backwards instead of forwards,we are really inhumane as humane beings to let such acts exist in our country. I am so hurt to see such beautiful creature killed in such a manner, this must stop , and we must get back to being human again.

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  32. Put the ranchers out of business, don’t eat their product !

    It is in the end the only solution to environmental problems .. By eating meat you are killing wolves and all native carnivore.
    It may sound simplistic but it is the answer
    Give the land back to the native wild so they can do their ecosystem engineering and be the best carbon sequestering beings on earth
    We have created this problem by letting the intruding cattle/ sheep onto the landscape and then we kill the natives for doing what comes naturally to them
    It’s a stacked deck and the wolves never win, when we are cheating the system by stealing their land and usurping their rights
    Save the wolves with a change in lifestyle !

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    • Great comments, Richie. Let’s get those livestock off the public lands–and make these lands safe for wild life. In Yellowstone, the re-introduction of wolves changed everything for the better in that ecosystem. It brought balance back once that Apex predator arrived. The surrounding livestock ranchers were furious, and they have never gotten over it. Where wolves no longer live, their marvelous cousin, Coyote, took over. Coyotes are hated by The Livestock Industry, and millions upon millions have been wiped out. We are not seeing as many as we did a few years ago. Now, in our area, the few beaver living in the diminishing river are also being targeted–and by, guess who?

      http://www.foranimals.org

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  33. What can people do to help, legislation-wise?

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  34. While I agree that a “change in eating (getting off meat) is necessary, unfortunately this will not be enough, soon enough. Now, with Climate Change happening faster than ever, we must take drastic measures to save whatever wild species we can–and that means, besides not eating meat, getting active, forming true activist groups to demand that public lands become FREE from Livestock Grazing–and it must be done SOON. The wild lands are denuded and polluted by livestock, and as long as ranchers are on these lands, they will continue to kill huge numbers of native wild animals—this is very serious out here in the West. Some ranchers are still using Compound 1080 (supposedly banned some time ago, but they still have supplies of it). It takes very minute amounts to kill thousands of animals up and down the food chain. This industry is the most destructive, and yet, unknown by many, in the Western U.S.
    The Cliven Bundy bunch, who occupied the Oregon Refuge (while also poaching animals on the Refuge) have connections with Right Wing, Racist groups all over this country, who want to turn public lands into private holdings, to benefit the hunting/ranching/energy industries. These people are volatile, heavily armed, and determined.

    http://www.foranimals.org

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  35. Let us not scapegoat the poor coyotes, who have taken over the ecological niche wolves once had. They are marvelous animals whose main diet consists of rodents, and various kinds of plant material. And yes, a cat or small dog roaming around outside its home, might be eaten. This is the fault of humans, not the coyote. Here in the West, we keep our two cats indoors–all the time.

    “Snatching small children and killing our dogs and livestock” is just another myth in order to continue slaughtering millions of coyotes. As you mention, “small unattended children” —should never be left “unattended”–parents should be much more worried about their “unattended kids” being snatched away by some evil human.

    So, on the one hand, you are against coyotes, and ranchers, but you state that “coyotes are the biggest culprit against against livestock,” which is absolutely not factual.

    There are no wolves in Western PA. They were all slaughtered by ignorant, red-necks, just as coyotes are now slaughtered here in the West and in the East.

    Coyotes are not the problem.

    http://www.foranimals.org

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    • Rosemary, I’m not demonizing coyotes, I defend them constantly on this blog and Facebook. Just pointing out coyotes and domestic dogs are the number one and two killers of livestock BUT that number is so small as to be insignificant. The biggest killer of cattle is non-predation: respiratory illness, accidents, birthing issues, pulmonary problems, disease even altitude sickness. Wolves are so far down on the scale concerning predation of cattle that they are lumped in with grizzlies and vultures.

      Ranching is the main threat to any predator because ranchers use Wildlife Services as their own personal predator killing service. The agency should be defunded and done away with. They kill millions of animals every year with taxpayer money.

      When I wrote that coyotes are the number one predator of cattle I knew someone would take offense but none is intended toward coyotes. They are just as persecuted as wolves, maybe more so.

      For the wolves, For OR4 and his family,
      Nabeki

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  36. There was another wolf alot like or4. His name was LOBO king of Northern New Mexico. It was in 1883, when the feds sent a naturalist
    to kill him. He was but 1 wolf and his reputation made it all the way to DC. I won’t tell his story, however, LOBO changed the life of Ernst Thomas Seton, the naturalist sent to kill him. After his ordeal with Lobo, Mr. Seton
    NEVER again killed a wolf, he became a wolf advocate.

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  37. great thought

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  38. There is another wolf, that was murdered. His. name was Lobo, king of the karumpaw. He was just a wolf, & his reputation made it all the way to DC. In 1883 a naturalist Ernst Thomas Seton, was sent to kill Lobo.Ernst learned alot from Lobo,& after he killed him (which took a year) he never again killed another wolf. He became an advocate for wolves! This was in Northern New Mexico.OR4, is in a beautiful place now. Never Forget!!♡♡♡

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  39. I think I unsucribed but I didn’t want to. Please resubscrieb me.
    Am very sick about the recent news. So very,very sad. Hope you have good support.
    May God bless.

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