Gray wolves are endangered and have recently been brought back from the brink of extinction. In 1978, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) declared all species of canis lupus south of Canada as endangered. Now, the USFWS wants to remove the wolves’ protected status. The gray wolf is protected under the Endangered Species Act, and while conservation efforts have been very successful, scientists believe that removing their protected status is a premature move.
Crying “Wolf”
In 2012, a resolution was offered to both Congress and the Senate requesting that gray wolves in Michigan be delisted and established as a game species. In both resolutions, there was a paragraph stating a fictional account of wolves attempting to prey on young children. The account was entirely false. Children were never in harms way, and the wolf that had been sighted fled after the family dog barked at it. The resolution cited this incident as the main reason for delisting the gray wolf because the author(s) did not “want to wait for a tragedy” to happen. They suggested that due to the increasing wolf population, or conservation efforts, an attack on children would eventually occur.
Many have argued that this false statement played a large role in the decision to delist the gray wolf as an endangered species in Michigan. The senator responsible for this falsehood eventually made a formal apology. Unfortunately, the resolution was not revoked.
Setting Wolves Up for Failure
Included in these resolutions were reports of wolves attacking cattle at an alarming rate, but 96 of the 149 cows reportedly killed, were killed on a single farm. On this particular farm, the animals were left unsupervised and when they died of causes unrelated to wolves, their bodies were left rotting in the fields. (Dead animals attract wolves.) The property owner did not follow the protocols put in place by authorities for deterring wolves. Furthermore, the owner failed to care for the donkeys given to him by authorities as part of the wolf-deterring protocol. The donkeys eventually died of dehydration. The environment provided by the landowner was an invitation to wolves. The bodies were eventually removed by the state and no charges were brought against the owner of the farm.
According to a report in the Huffington Post, Montana has sold over 6,000 wolf-hunting licenses that give hunters permission to kill five wolves each. The current wolf population is just over 600. Clearly, there aren’t enough wolves to accommodate 6,000 hunters, but when one takes a look at the numbers, the math makes perfect, unethical sense.
Yellowstone National Park generates about $30 million from wolf watching, but it costs about $150 million to reintroduce and recover wolves into the Northern Rockies. Montana generated over $100,000 from selling 6,000 hunting licenses; licenses that are valid per season. The state of Montana’s Fish, Wildlife, and Parks is holding a public comment hearing now, through Dec. 20, 2013. You can make your comments heard here.
Why You Should Care
Wolves are essential to maintaining a balanced ecosystem. They keep deer and elk populations in check, preying on the weak and sick, thus keeping the herds healthy. Without a large natural predator, herds can ruin ecosystems and cause an imbalance in a region’s flora and fauna. For example, in Yellowstone National Park, elk populations sky rocketed after the gray wolf was exterminated, as a result, the aspen tree became endangered. When wolves were reintroduced to the park, the elk populations became balanced. Now, both the aspen tree and the wolves are making a come back.
Say “No” To The Anti-Wolf Agenda
Are you a registered Michigan voter? Sign the legal petition to give Michigan voters a say in the matter here. You can also sign this petition if you want to help launch a second referendum in Michigan to preserve the first one.
People do not eat wolves, and they are not game animals. Trophy hunters, who just want to kill wolves for fun, hunt them. Wolves have an important place in the American landscape. Conservation efforts were launched to help restore balance to our country’s ecosystem, not so that fun-hunters could have another pelt to add to their trophy collection.
Source: http://www.onegreenplanet.org
Crying “Wolf”
In 2012, a resolution was offered to both Congress and the Senate requesting that gray wolves in Michigan be delisted and established as a game species. In both resolutions, there was a paragraph stating a fictional account of wolves attempting to prey on young children. The account was entirely false. Children were never in harms way, and the wolf that had been sighted fled after the family dog barked at it. The resolution cited this incident as the main reason for delisting the gray wolf because the author(s) did not “want to wait for a tragedy” to happen. They suggested that due to the increasing wolf population, or conservation efforts, an attack on children would eventually occur.
Many have argued that this false statement played a large role in the decision to delist the gray wolf as an endangered species in Michigan. The senator responsible for this falsehood eventually made a formal apology. Unfortunately, the resolution was not revoked.
Setting Wolves Up for Failure
Included in these resolutions were reports of wolves attacking cattle at an alarming rate, but 96 of the 149 cows reportedly killed, were killed on a single farm. On this particular farm, the animals were left unsupervised and when they died of causes unrelated to wolves, their bodies were left rotting in the fields. (Dead animals attract wolves.) The property owner did not follow the protocols put in place by authorities for deterring wolves. Furthermore, the owner failed to care for the donkeys given to him by authorities as part of the wolf-deterring protocol. The donkeys eventually died of dehydration. The environment provided by the landowner was an invitation to wolves. The bodies were eventually removed by the state and no charges were brought against the owner of the farm.
According to a report in the Huffington Post, Montana has sold over 6,000 wolf-hunting licenses that give hunters permission to kill five wolves each. The current wolf population is just over 600. Clearly, there aren’t enough wolves to accommodate 6,000 hunters, but when one takes a look at the numbers, the math makes perfect, unethical sense.
Yellowstone National Park generates about $30 million from wolf watching, but it costs about $150 million to reintroduce and recover wolves into the Northern Rockies. Montana generated over $100,000 from selling 6,000 hunting licenses; licenses that are valid per season. The state of Montana’s Fish, Wildlife, and Parks is holding a public comment hearing now, through Dec. 20, 2013. You can make your comments heard here.
Why You Should Care
Wolves are essential to maintaining a balanced ecosystem. They keep deer and elk populations in check, preying on the weak and sick, thus keeping the herds healthy. Without a large natural predator, herds can ruin ecosystems and cause an imbalance in a region’s flora and fauna. For example, in Yellowstone National Park, elk populations sky rocketed after the gray wolf was exterminated, as a result, the aspen tree became endangered. When wolves were reintroduced to the park, the elk populations became balanced. Now, both the aspen tree and the wolves are making a come back.
Say “No” To The Anti-Wolf Agenda
Are you a registered Michigan voter? Sign the legal petition to give Michigan voters a say in the matter here. You can also sign this petition if you want to help launch a second referendum in Michigan to preserve the first one.
People do not eat wolves, and they are not game animals. Trophy hunters, who just want to kill wolves for fun, hunt them. Wolves have an important place in the American landscape. Conservation efforts were launched to help restore balance to our country’s ecosystem, not so that fun-hunters could have another pelt to add to their trophy collection.
Source: http://www.onegreenplanet.org
thank you for this report...may the wolves be protected!
protect you fantastic wildlife/Wolves...otherwise like Tasmania and Uk you end up with none...
I am not an American but I strongly oppose the hunting of wolves, Why do people persecute this animal so much yet love the domesticated dog so much! Our family pet is an ancestor of the wolf. If the wolf is "so dangerous" then why did our native people domesticate them and not wipe them out as we seem to be so desperately trying to do. Why can we not just leave nature alone for once and give every living creature their place to belong in this world. Not every creature should have a killing time when idiots can go into the woods and be the "great white hunter". I can understand people who struggle to feed their families being able to take one edible creature a year in a season but not people who just want an opportunity to kill once a year. American grow up and become responsible nature owners and protect the beautiful country you have been blessed with and all her beautiful wild inhabitants.
You would think we would have learned from history, the eco system needs them.we shouldn't be just killing any animals.
The earth belongs to all. We should have evolved beyond senseless killing of anything by now. Will we ever learn everything must work in harmony for the best outcome.
Leave the wolf alone do not destroy and eradicate like we did respect these beautiful animals learn from others mistakes england:'(
Lawyer president is the first mistake. Lawyers can say anything and its done. All political. Always is for everything.
Man's best friend: Since the discovery of fire & before, our ancestors around the world along w/our american natives, have hunted along side & with, learned from, & socialized w/ these beautiful family oriented mammals. Somewhere along the line, (like witch hunts), based on ignorance & fear, they have been almost wiped out to extinction. So necessary for ecology, this MUST STOP! The populace needs to be informed & educated about the truth in this matter.
The ignorance is obvious ! Only sick minds want to kill just for the sake of killing ! Wolves are useful and necessary . They are nothing like this evil picture painted of them ! We need politicians smart enough to look and SEE THIS !
It's really sad that it is 2014 and many people still live in a state of ignorance. We have an endangered spices list for a reason. We also have laws about hunting these animals that are placed on this list. Rather than educating our selves our law makers and fellow people act out of fear and ignorance. That is the simple explanation as to why this is happening. It is sickening to me what is worse there are images all over Google of the wolves a coyotes that have been killed in the "wolf hunts".
I love wolves don't want wolves ecosystem lost and disappear , please respect and responsible animals alive, please stop all hunting and killing for all animals . give them free run to the wild , the nature needs all animals , we need animals and nature , please think and stop , don't kill our planet , thanks
so why is there no option for someone in a different country to give an opinion?
All creatures great and small. The wolves are part of the master plan. They are essential to our planet. Keep on keepin' on.
amazing comments here....i really cant add much to whats already been said here. Just that i support the wolves and i agree that killing them for sport is so so wrong. I too have been very upset and traumatized by the pictures on google of killed wolves. Its very sad. All my life i have been closer to the animals than humans...so all of this weighs especially heavy on my mind and heart. Its like we are back to the middle ages again, only instead of humans being tortured its the animals...this is so sick...it has to STOP!
If i see someone attempting to harm a wolf, for any reason, I will not be a happy person and I will attempt to stop a person from harming them. Wolves tend to stay away from human population however, politics don't realize is Human are more dangerous to wolves, then they are to us.
Keep our wolves safe.
I don't get it! Why would someone want to kill for the sake of killing? Dogs and wolves are basically the same thing, so why be companions with dogs and kill the wolves. Its obvious that people who kill for fun are evil and brainless!