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Greetings!
With snow melting in the
mountains, and spring arriving, we have some positive developments to report:
A strong, well-presented cover story on wolves led the
March issue of National Geographic magazine.
Balanced, factual reporting will make a difference
for wolves. We were delighted to see it, and hope you did too.
There's a movement developing in the ranching
community aimed at using non-lethal methods to control depredation and produce "wolf-friendly" beef and lamb.
We're headed to Washington, D.C. to discuss wolf
management policies with the Department of the Interior. Our Board member Jim
Gilliland, General Counsel to the Department of Agriculture (home of the Forest
Service) from 1993-97, arranged the meeting with key wildlife managers. We're also indebted to Senator John Tunney,
another Board member, and Senator John Kerry, a strong supporter of our work,
for their help. It is crucial that those making decisions about wolves hear
from us about the intricacies of wolf behavior and how that conflicts with
current management policies. Unlike Washington managers, we are here in Idaho,
witnessing on a daily basis the devastating impact of the current flawed
policies, and will make sure your
voice is heard on behalf of wolves.
But overall, wolf news remains very disturbing. Roughly a third of the wolves in the West have been killed, without regard to
the social nature of the packs, or the status of the wolves shot. Wolves collared
for scientific study have been killed, ending valuable research. And, sadly, a
large percentage of wolves reported killed were yearlings and puppies, 62% in
Montana.
You can help. Go to our web site, www.livingwithwolves.org,
and click on "You Can Help Wolves," where you'll find how to effectively
contact government officials, and their contact information. Your actions and support do
matter, most of all to wolves, and for their keystone role in the ecosystem.
Sincerely,
Jim Dutcher Jamie Dutcher
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The Hunt
It
was only last spring when the federal government removed wolves from the
Endangered Species List in the Northern Rockies. Management was turned over to the individual states that
presented to the government what was deemed an acceptable wolf management plan.
The plans in Montana and Idaho qualified. The one in Wyoming did not. As a
method of wildlife management for wolves, Montana and Idaho implemented a legal
wolf-hunting season. This
certainly didn't happen to bald eagles or any other species once removed from the
Endangered Species List.
When
management was turned over to these two states, the wolf population in the
Northern Rockies was estimated to be only 1,650 wolves. Since last spring, it
is well documented that more than 600 wolves have been killed.
The
Public Hunt: Wolf licenses were sold in Idaho and Montana for less than $20
each, 260 wolves were reported shot.
Federal
Predation Control: Approximately 300 more wolves were killed, often from aircraft, in
response to complaints by ranchers.
In
addition, many unreported wolves were shot, as poachers pledged to "shoot
and shut up." Eighty-four other wolves were killed by various causes, including the illegal takes that didn't remain a secret.
In Idaho, the inaugural wolf-hunting
season began three weeks before the end of last summer and ended only a few
weeks ago. Wolf packs preparing for the arrival of new puppies, including the
pregnant mothers, were still being shot through the end of March. By the time
it was all over, wolves were hunted in Idaho for a full seven months, an
extremely long period of time for a game-hunting season.
In Idaho and Montana, 260 wolves were
killed, tagged and reported to authorities in the hunt. From constant
monitoring of hunting blogs, we have good reason to believe that many more
wolves have been killed than were ever reported. Bragging about "gut shooting"
wolves that are left to crawl off and die, while only "trophy" animals are
reported, is rife in areas where the hunt was authorized. Intelligent, biology-based
decisions were hard to find in this circus atmosphere, with serious wildlife
management taking a back seat in the press and in the public discussion.
In addition to the hunt,  around 300
wolves were killed in federal "predator control" actions in the past year. The
wolf seems to be often blamed for whatever happens to go wrong. Unfortunately, this federal program is
not flawless and some anti-wolf ranchers exploit its weaknesses. Loose reporting regulations have
resulted in the implication and termination of innocent wolves. Also, ranchers need to be required to properly
dispose of their deceased animals. Some anti-wolf ranchers have been known to leave their dead animals out
to attract wolves. Livestock die on public lands regularly. Exposure to the elements and disease are the leading causes of death. Carcasses summon a wide host of
scavengers, but wolves often get blamed as the assailant and then become the unwarranted victims of predator control. In
March, the National Geographic magazine cover story pointed out that wolves
killed 1,300 sheep in 2008. However, coyotes killed more than 31,000 sheep in the same period. Even domestic dogs killed more sheep
than wolves.
Fortunately,
one anti-wolf myth was dispelled as a result of the hunt. There were no
super-size, 300-pound Canadian wolf monsters shot. The heaviest wolf weighed
127 pounds, and adult male wolves averaged only 100 pounds. In Montana, 62% of the wolves killed in
the hunt were puppies or yearlings.
In
these large Western states, with vast tracts of wilderness, there is plenty of
room for wolves. Idaho alone is
home to an estimated 3,000 cougars, 20,000 bears and 50,000 coyotes. There is
certainly room for more than the 746 wolves remaining in Idaho.
Montana
and Idaho both suggest a much more aggressive hunting season for next
year. Discussions are under way
about allowing the use of trapping, electronic call devices (which mimic an
injured animal to attract predators), loose restrictions on the use of bait to
draw unsuspecting wolves, higher hunting quotas, and lowered prices for
out-of-state licenses.
Idaho
Fish and Game officials have stated multiple times that they intend to bring
the wolf population down to around 500 wolves and maintain it at that level.
However, according to the vast majority of the scientific community, this token
population spread over an enormous area of wild land, is not genetically viable and therefore unsustainable.
Wyoming is suing the
federal government for not accepting their plan, one that recommended a target
population of a mere 150 wolves, allowed to l ive in only a small portion of the
state. Thirteen environmental groups have filed another lawsuit, with an objective of having federal protection reinstated for wolves, putting a stop to
the hunting seasons, and returning them to the Endangered Species List
throughout the West.
Meanwhile, it is wolf puppy
season across the Northern Rockies, where the surviving families of wolves
prepare to welcome their new kin. This next generation of Gray Wolves in the West will be born into a tenuous
and uncertain future.
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Our Advisory Board
Living with Wolves is pleased to
announce that we will be assembling an Advisory Board. To create an atmosphere that could lead
to resolution on wolf issues, we'll select a well-balanced committee t hat can
be called on for their specific expertise. Respected scientists, biologists,
ranchers, hunters, conservationists and others, representing a range of
perspectives on wolf issues, will find an arena for collectively engaging in
productive dialogue in a supportive atmosphere.
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This newsletter was made possible by a contribution from
Robert Disbrow and Kim Kawaguchi
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