Canyon Pack wolf, Yellowstone National Park (Mark Wheeler)
Two wolves were killed on the first day of Wyoming’s trophy hunt, taking place outside of Yellowstone National Park, which opened October 1. God only knows what wolves are suffering in the rest of the shoot-on-sight Cowboy state. Are they being poisoned, trapped, snared, set on fire, run over? The answer is shrouded in evil darkness. There is very little oversight concerning the “dead-wolves-walking”. Their deaths aren’t required to be reported to the state for ten days and who in the hell is going to enforce that when no license is required and anyone can kill a wolf in the “predator zone”.
The wolf killing comes at a time when Yellowstone wolves numbers are dropping, hit hard by disease, mange being one of the main culprits. Sarcoptic mange was introduced into the wolf population in the early 1900’a by the state of Montana, to decimate wolves and more than a hundred years later it’s still plaguing park wolves.
Holding a trophy hunt outside of Yellowstone to kill 52 wolves, while blowing wolves away in 80 percent of the state is sick. The wolves are habituated due to a constant human presence, so I’m sure they will be easy pickings, Trophy hunting is sheer blood lust, killing for the fun of it.
“For hunters, hunting is fun. Recreation is play. Hunting is recreation. Hunters kill for play, for entertainment. They kill for the thrill of it, to make an animal “theirs”. (The Gandhian doctrine of non-possesion has never been a big hit with hunters.) The animal becomes the property of the hunter by its death. Alive, the beast belongs only to itself. This is unacceptable to the hunter”….Joy Williams
People come from all over the world to view Yellowstone wolves, Wolf tourism generates over 35 million dollars in the GYA, If you were planning a trip to Wyoming, call their tourism department and let them know you won’t be setting foot in the state due to the wolf massacre.
According to an article in the Powell Tribune there is little chance environmental groups will be able to stop the “predator zone” killing until after the first of year:
“Although two environmental groups intend to sue over the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to delist wolves in Wyoming, it is unlikely they will stop wolf hunting in Wyoming, at least this year. Both Earthjustice and WildEarth Guardians sent intent-to-sue notices last month.
Even so, a local official said he believes environmental groups pushing for wolf re-listing in Wyoming don’t have a legal leg to stand on.
They must wait 60 days after notification before they can file the lawsuit in federal court. At this time, Earthjustice’s clients have not asked the firm to file a preliminary injunction to discontinue hunting in Wyoming, said Jenny Harbine, an Earthjustice attorney.
Earthjustice represents Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity, Harbine said.
Chances are any legal action would not halt wolf hunting this year, but after the end of the year, the suits could stop the shoot-on-sight policy in the predator zone, Harbine said.
The Endangered Species Act requires a species to be biologically recovered and have adequate protections in place before delisting to ensure it is not driven to the brink of extinction, Harbine said.
“We believe Wyoming’s wolf management scheme is insignificant to protect the Wyoming wolf population from excessive human mortality,” Harbine said.
In both the trophy and predator zones, ranchers now can kill wolves they believe are threatening their livestock or domestic animals. It appears a loophole in state statute would allow those ranchers to put out bait to attract wolves, and that could lead to the killing of a significant number of wolves, Harbine said.”
How many wolves do you think the killers can destroy from now until 2013?
BOYCOTT WYOMING!
Wyoming Travel & Tourism
Office of Tourism Director Diane Shober
diane.shober@wyo.gov
1520 Etchepare Circle
Cheyenne, WY 82007
TEL: 307-777-7777
FAX: 307-777-2877
E-MAIL: info@visitwyo.gov
TOLL FREE: 800-225-5996
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Wyoming’s first regulated wolf hunt started Monday, and challenges from environmental groups are not expected to stop it this year.
Two gray wolves had reportedly been killed in Wyoming’s trophy zones as of late Monday afternoon. One was killed in the Sunlight area, and the other in the Pacific Creek area, said Eric Keszler, a Game and Fish spokesman in Cheyenne.
Wyoming’s first regulated wolf hunt started Monday, and challenges from environmental groups are not expected to stop it this year.
Two gray wolves had reportedly been killed in Wyoming’s trophy zones as of late Monday afternoon. One was killed in the Sunlight area, and the other in the Pacific Creek area, said Eric Keszler, a Game and Fish spokesman in Cheyenne.
By Friday, 2,236 wolf licenses had been sold in Wyoming, all but 53 of them to state residents.
With 562 licenses purchased, “Park County was still No. 1,” said Keszler.
Hunting will be allowed from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31 in the northwest corner of the state, except in area 12, which is a seasonal trophy game management area in northern Lincoln and Sublette counties from Oct. 15 to Dec. 31.
Wyoming has a total quota of 52 wolves across all 12 trophy game hunt areas.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced last month it would entrust Wyoming with managing wolf numbers. The service has endorsed Wyoming’s wolf-management plan, which allows for wolves to be shot on sight in most of the state, while keeping them permanently protected in designated areas such as Yellowstone National Park.
Gov. Matt Mead has called the hunt “scientifically sound.”
Although two environmental groups intend to sue over the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to delist wolves in Wyoming, it is unlikely they will stop wolf hunting in Wyoming, at least this year. Both Earthjustice and WildEarth Guardians sent intent-to-sue notices last month.
Even so, a local official said he believes environmental groups pushing for wolf re-listing in Wyoming don’t have a legal leg to stand on.
They must wait 60 days after notification before they can file the lawsuit in federal court. At this time, Earthjustice’s clients have not asked the firm to file a preliminary injunction to discontinue hunting in Wyoming, said Jenny Harbine, an Earthjustice attorney.
Earthjustice represents Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity, Harbine said.
Chances are any legal action would not halt wolf hunting this year, but after the end of the year, the suits could stop the shoot-on-sight policy in the predator zone, Harbine said.
The Endangered Species Act requires a species to be biologically recovered and have adequate protections in place before delisting to ensure it is not driven to the brink of extinction, Harbine said.
“We believe Wyoming’s wolf management scheme is insignificant to protect the Wyoming wolf population from excessive human mortality,” Harbine said.
READ MORE: http://www.powelltribune.com/news/item/10179-wolf-hunt-begins
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Yellowstone Wolves Hit by Disease
Live Science
Humans had killed off gray wolves in the region by the 1930s, but in 1995, U.S. wildlife officials tried to restore the native population by bringing 31 wolves captured from Canada into the national park.
The new wolf community initially expanded rapidly, climbing to more than 170 at its peak. But researchers from Penn State University say that the most recent data show the number of animals has dipped below 100.
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Top Photo: Courtesy Mike Wheeler
Bottom Photo: Courtesy LA Times
Posted in: Wolf Wars, Wyoming wolves
Tags: Boycott Wyoming, wolf massacre, innocent wolves, killing puppies, blood lust, trophy hunting is evil, USFWS responsible, Earthjustice
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