And We Wait…

This blog will be two years old next month. In two years,  wolves have been delisted, hunted, relisted, delisted and face brutal hunts once again. They’ve been loved, hated, worshiped and vilified.  I’ve written of their incredible beauty, their value to our ecosystem, their loving nature, their devotion to family, their restless spirits, their renowned endurance. I’ve written memorials to their name, lingering long into the night and early morning.  And yet here we stand perched on the precipice once again.  I allow my mind to wander and it takes me to a place I don’t want to go. To the brutal slaughter that awaits the gray wolf.  Only the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals can stop this now.

I look back and remember the elation we all felt when Judge Molloy relisted wolves in the Northern Rockies. It was a blissful day. A long-awaited day.  But evil wouldn’t rest. It picked itself up and went to work.  It went to work for the ranchers who want a predator free landscape.

“Today, ranchers have 26,000 permits to graze millions of livestock on pasture managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service. They pay $1.35 per head of cattle per month — a price set by cattle prices, livestock production costs and, ostensibly, private grazing lease rates. But since 1980 that amount has decreased 40 percent to its statutory minimum, and it is typically one-10th of grazing fees on private property and state lands.

Taxpayers Foot Bill

The U.S. spends about $135 million per year managing public-lands grazing, according to the Government Accountability Office, but collects only $21 million in fees. Taxpayers also foot the bill for the Agriculture Department’s predator control program, whose hunters killed 81,684 coyotes and 478 wolves in 2009.“

It went to work for the hunting lobbies and their buddies in Congress, who helped push though a death sentence for wolves in the Northern Rockies via budget rider.

And now we wait. Wait for the Ninth Circuit. Wait for a reprieve for wolves. Will their howls be silenced once again in the Northern Rockies, sacrificed on the altar of hate and ignorance?  History repeating itself.

Video: Courtesy WildEarth Guardians YouTube

Posted in: Wolf Wars, Biodiversity

Tags: WildEarth Guardians, gray wolf, wolf persecution, ignorance, wolf hate groups, delisting, wolf hunts, animal cruelty

Montana and Idaho Wolves Abandoned….

The future of wolves in Idaho and Montana.

Photo by Lynne Stone, Copyright 2011.

This is the face of trophy hunting, a wolf brutally shot to death for sport. A painful, horrific death.

Wolves don’t go quietly. Can you imagine this happening to your beloved dog?  Since wolves and dogs share 99.8 percent of their DNA, it’s not hard to do.

I know it’s disturbing but this is what Montana and Idaho wolves are facing if the deal, brokered by the “10 settling groups” and USFWS. becomes reality. Or if Congress tacks a delisting rider onto the budget bill.  Or if one of the myriad of anti-wolf bills squeaks through, all wolves could be delisted. Either way, wolves are under attack from all sides. It’s up to us to continue to fight for them.

The budget extension in Congress ends on April 8th. There could be another attempt to push a wolf delisting rider through. We have to gear up for the next  push. I know everyone is emotionally exhausted, especially since the “settlement” was revealed on March 18th but that is out of our hands, it’s Judge Molloy’s decision. We have to focus on Congress and their wolf delisting antics.

Photo by Lynne Stone, Copyright 2011

In 2010 Montana added a wolf archery and back country wolf rifle  season to their hunt. They also raised their quota from 75 to 186 wolves.  Idaho’s bag of tricks included calling, baiting and trapping wolves, allowing snares and leg hold traps.

Who knows how much worse it will get?  Idaho Governor Otter made these statements in October 2010.

Idaho Governor Rejects ESA Wolf Management

Posted on: 10/24/10

In another salvo of the wolf-wars, Idaho’s Governor Otter has ordered state wildlife managers to “relinquish their duty to arrest poachers or to even investigate when wolves are killed illegally.” Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) Idaho wildlife officials are the “designated agent” for investigating wolf deaths in the state.

This means Idaho Department of Fish and Game managers will no longer perform statewide monitoring for wolves, conduct investigations into illegal killings, provide law enforcement when wolves are poached or participate in a program that responds to livestock depredations.

CLICK HERE for link to article

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Well come to think of it Montana’s Governor pretty much did the same thing.

Montana Governor States He Will Defy Federal Protections For Gray Wolves….

To remind everyone what Schweitzer said:

“First, for Montana’s northwest endangered wolves (north of Interstate 90), any livestock producers who kill or harass a wolf attacking their livestock will not be prosecuted by Montana game wardens. Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP) wardens will be directed to exercise their prosecutorial discretion by not investigating or citing anyone protecting their livestock.

Further, I am directing FWP to respond to any livestock depredation by removing whole packs that kill livestock, wherever this may occur.

Still further, to protect the elk herds in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley that have been most adversely affected by wolf predation, I am directing FWP, to the extent allowed by the Endangered Species Act, to cull these wolves by whole-pack removal to enable elk herds to recover.”

CLICK HERE for the link

AND we can’t forget the anti-wolf bill proposed in Idaho that would place a $500 bounty on each wolves’ head. Similar to the $150 bounty Sara Palin placed on wolves lives.

Really, Really Bad News For Idaho Wolves!!

https://howlingforjustice.wordpress.com/2011/02/27/really-really-bad-news-for-idaho-wolves/

Whatever the 1o “settling groups” were thinking they weren’t thinking about the welfare of Idaho and Montana wolves!

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Hunting

Managing Wildlife

Unlike what some people might believe, hunting is not an effective method to manage and conserve wildlife. When left alone, nature is very capable of keeping a good balance. Natural predators kill off the sickest and weakest animals. And in cases of overpopulation, starvation and disease are nature’s (unfortunate) way of removing the weakest and bringing back a good balance.

Hunters don’t try to kill only the weaker animals. They often kill the strongest and healthiest animals. They prefer the bucks with the largest rack. The weaker and genetically inferior bucks are left to propagate the species, weakening the overall health of the herd. Killing of a large number of mature males also creates a disproportionate ratio of females to males, impacting the social structure of a herd.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article.

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Wolves are demonized for hunting elk, their natural prey but the haters forget to mention the destruction poachers do to wildlife. Wolves kill to survive, they benefit the ecosystem and provide food for other wildlife. What do these lowly slob hunters contribute?

From the Humane Society of the United States

December 29, 2010

Shocking Poaching Cases from 2010

Wildlife crimes ran the gamut from brazen to cowardly

Poaching is not only a crime of cruelty, it is a widespread but largely invisible problem. Many people have never heard the estimate that for every wild animal killed legally by hunters, another is killed illegally.

Wildlife poaching victims could total in the tens of millions annually.

Given that these offenses generally are committed in remote locations, it isn’t surprising that very few cases get solved, despite the skill and dedication of wildlife law enforcement.

You can be part of the solution by becoming aware of these crimes against wildlife and learning how to put officials on the trail of poachers.

To that end, we selected ten poaching cases out of the 56 we publicized—along with offered rewards—in 2010. The countdown provides a glimpse of the range of poaching crimes as well as the tactics some law enforcement agencies use to catch poachers.

10. Undercover investigation in Shannon County, Mo., reveals more than 400 violations

Investigators with the Missouri Department of Conservation set up a taxidermy shop as part of an investigation into illegal hunting. In July they announced that 62% of the people who came into the shop with killed animals were in violation of the law.

9. Poacher in Iberia Parish, La., shoots a threatened black bear who had to be euthanized

Louisiana black bears are a threatened species and it is illegal to shoot one. That didn’t stop a poacher who shot and wounded a female Louisiana black bear so badly that she had to be euthanized. Agents with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division are still looking for the perpetrator(s), and The HSUS has an outstanding $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case.

8. Citrus County, Fla., poaching suspect posts a picture of an allegedly illegally killed deer on her Facebook page

Florida is one of the states becoming more sophisticated in their efforts to combat poaching. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Internet Crimes Unit monitors websites, online bulletin boards, and social media forums to detect criminal activity. They target those who illegally sell wildlife online or who reveal their real-world wildlife crimes via the internet. In 2010 alone, this amazing team made 177 arrests.

7. Elk slaughtered in apparent thrill killing in Grays Harbor County, Wash.

A “thrill killer” illegally shot and killed four elk near Montesanto. Strong penalties for this particularly egregious category of poaching is a top priority for The HSUS and we are working on legislation to upgrade thrill-killing penalties.

6. Black bear poached in Murray County, Ga.; cubs orphaned

In February, a female black bear was killed while hibernating in her den with her newborn cubs. It is believed that the poacher or poachers may have also taken the bear cubs. Officers with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources are still looking for tips on this case. The HSUS has an outstanding $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

5. Sea otter shot and killed in San Luis Obispo County, Calif.

A young female sea otter was found dead along the beach in Morro Bay. A necropsy revealed that she had been shot in the head with a pellet gun. Wardens with The California Department of Fish and Game are still looking for the poacher or poachers responsible, and The HSUS has an outstanding $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

4. Highly endangered red wolf killed in Dare County, N.C.

In October a red wolf, one of the most endangered wolves, was discovered dead at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. Fish and Wildlife is still looking for the suspected poacher or poachers responsible for this case and two other illegal red wolf kills that took place in May 2010. The HSUS has an outstanding $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in all three killings.

3. Anonymous poacher taunts law enforcement with pictures of alleged illegal kills in Idaho

Someone who signs his messages “Poacher X” sent images of his illegal kills, including an antelope and a deer, to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game along with a letter claiming that he poached those animals in Northern Idaho and that he “plans to do all his hunting like this from now on.” The HSUS has an outstanding $2,500 reward for information leading to Poacher X’s arrest and conviction.

2. Golden eagle struck with vehicle in Sevier County, Utah; tail feathers cruelly plucked with pliers

The HSUS has an outstanding $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in a cruel poaching case that took place near Salina, Utah. The eagle was severely injured and, despite treatment at the Southwest Wildlife Foundation in Cedar City, Utah, died of his injuries.

1. Convicted felon kills officer during arrest for suspected night hunting in Adams County, Pa.

All wildlife law enforcement officers make sacrifices in their heroic efforts to protect wildlife. They work long hours and are usually paid less than other law enforcement, not to mention the risks of working in remote areas and approaching suspects who far more often than not are carrying a weapon. Those risks became a reality in the case of the tragic killing of David Grove, a wildlife conservation officer in Pennsylvania who, news reports say, was fatally shot while he was arresting a man for suspected illegal night hunting.

http://www.humanesociety.org/news/news/2010/12/poaching_2010_122910.html

STAND UP FOR WOLVES!!

Photos: Courtesy of Lynne Stone, Copyright 2011

Posted in: Wolf Wars, Slob Hunters, Trophy Hunting

Tags: Montana and Idaho wolves abandoned in “settlement”, 10 “settling” groups, Idaho wolves, Montana wolves, evils of trophy hunting, slob hunters, ESA, delisting