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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