WOLVES; The last line of defense is crumbling

 

A horrifying one-third of Wisconsin’s endangered gray wolves were just killed in a single hunt. The next hunt, scheduled this fall, could make it impossible for wolves to rebound.  "An outright slaughter." That’s how people described February’s horrific wolf-hunt in Wisconsin, as hunters killed 216 wolves and painted the forests red. Now, something even worse is looming. The state’s Department of Natural Resources voted to kill hundreds more wolves this fall -- a number so high it could wipe out the wolf population in Wisconsin. This is dire news, and not just for Wisconsin. Wolves everywhere are under threat. This year alone, states including Montana and Idaho have passed laws legalizing brutal “hunting” methods from snares to helicopter chases. In May, Idaho called for the killing of 90% of its wolf population -- only 150 wolves would remain.  Dynamiting wolf pups in their dens. Inhumane trapping practices. Gunning them down from helicopters and snowmobiles. How the heck did things get this bad?  For centuries, wolves have been villainized and demonized across Europe and North America. Today, wolves are victims of a political war -- a disinformation campaign that ignores science. The culprits include the trophy hunting lobby and other special interests. These groups worked hand-in-hand with the Trump administration to gut the Endangered Species Act and dismantle protections for wolves and other animals. Trump’s assault on wildlife was the worst we’ve seen from any president. Few animals have suffered more from this than America’s wolves. Now, bad actors are working to uphold Trump-era rules and gut other animal protection laws, all to benefit special interests and wealthy developers.  We need wolves.  As a keystone species, wolves balance ecosystems and even drive natural evolution. If a keystone species is removed, the ecosystem drastically changes -- or in some cases, collapses entirely.  But when wolves' lives are left up to the whims of Big Ag interests and the trophy hunting lobby, bad things happen. States including Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming have already loosened protections -- and in the last decade, more than 3,200 wolves have been killed. That’s more than half as many wolves as are alive in the lower 48 states today. Only around 6,000 wolves remain. If we don’t fight back before it’s too late, fragile species will be driven to extinction, and America’s wild places will never be the same.  At Friends of the Earth Action, we’re fighting to protect endangered species, ecosystems, and public lands at every level. We’re pushing the Biden administration and putting pressure on local decision-makers to restore protection for wolves before it’s too late.  We can’t rely on states alone to solve this crisis. We have a narrow window to secure permanent, national protection for wolves and other vulnerable species. But we need your help.  Standing with you, Raena Garcia, Fossil fuels and lands campaigner, Friends of the Earth Action

 

Ever since the Trump administration stripped wolves of their critical ESA protections, anti-wolf legislators and extremists have been on the offensive. In states across the nation, we’re seeing wolf killings rise and brutal tactics like neck snares and baiting make a comeback after being outlawed for decades. It’s past time to restore wolf protections. With your support, we’re acting on all fronts to demand protection for wolves – and we’re matching all gifts 2-for-1 to save the wildlife who need us most!

It was one of the most shameful assaults on wildlife in our lifetimes – and as wolf killings continue to rise, we’re still feeling the heartache. The Trump administration’s premature decision to strip gray wolves of their federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections was nothing less than a betrayal of wildlife and of the advocates who have spent decades helping bring wolves back from the brink of extinction. Now we’ve got a chance to undo that damage: we must restore those protections and save these wolves from increasing attacks in states across the nation. We’re in court now to demand federal ESA protections be restored to undo the damage, and we need your help We’re matching all gifts 2-for-1 up to $100,000 to turbo-charge efforts to restore the protections that wolves and other wildlife need to survive. Your gift now goes 3x as far to save these animals.  I know you’ve seen the headlines. The three-day killing frenzy in Wisconsin that cost over 200 wolves their lives. Idaho’s plan to wipe out up to 90% of the states’ wolves. Montana legislators scrambling to bring back neck snares, baiting and night hunting. Wolves in those states have been in danger for many years – and now things are getting worse. And just this month, we learned that a pair of weeks-old pups were gunned down from a helicopter in Oregon. I dream of a day where I don’t have to write to you with news of another tragic wolf killing – but until we restore their federal protections, the wolves we love will never be safe. Fight back for wolves: For every dollar you give, 3x that amount will help power critical efforts across the nation to protect wolves and other vulnerable animals from threats to their survival. With your help, we can keep the pressure on the Biden Administration to take dramatic action NOW. We can continue to fight in the courts, demanding that protections are restored. The longer it takes, the more wolves will die. The dream of wolf recovery is still alive. You know it and I know it. Now it’s time to step in and save these animals from being driven to the brink of extinction once again! 3X MATCH MY GIFT FOR WOLVES Thank you for doing your part to protect our most vulnerable animals. Sincerely, Jamie Rappaport Clark President & CEO, Defenders of Wildlife Defenders of Wildlife 1130 17th Street NW • Washington, DC 20036 defenders.org © 2021 Defenders of Wildlife  Photo credit: Gray wolf pup in meadow (c) John Pitcher/iStock

Kill orders have been issued for up to two of the nine wolves in Washington's Togo pack. It's the fifth time since 2018 that this wolf family has been targeted. While wolves there are state-protected, Washington's endangered species laws are weak, and the state continues to kill wolves for the livestock industry. It has to stop. Please help with a gift to the Wolf Defense Fund. Last year Gov. Jay Inslee directed the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission to draft new rules governing the killing of wolves involved in conflicts with livestock. But the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, which the Commission oversees, has taken aim at the Togo pack again. Since 2012 its wildlife officials have killed 34 state-endangered wolves. And in Oregon two other kill orders are out, on the OR-30 wolves and Lookout Mountain pack, which had two 14-week-old pups killed by the state three weeks ago. We're urging the governors of both states to step in and stop the kill orders. If state agencies keep doing the bidding of livestock operators, industry will keep relying on helicopter sharpshooters to kill wolves instead of using nonlethal measures that are far more effective for avoiding conflicts. The war on wolves is being waged across many fronts. Idaho and Montana are extending their trapping seasons, granting almost unlimited wolf-hunting and letting wolves be killed with cruel snares or run over by snowmobiles. Wisconsin wants to hold its second hunt this year in the fall, putting as many as 300 wolves at risk. We're fighting to restore protection to wolves across the lower 48, including an emergency petition for wolves in the northern Rockies. We won't let up against those who see wolves as pests, trophies or target practice. Wolves and their families can flourish here — but only if states get out of the business of killing them. Please support our fight for wolves with a gift to the Wolf Defense Fund. For the wild,

Kierán Suckling Executive Director Center for Biological Diversity