WOLVES

 

More kill orders have been issued on wolves -- this time, two of the nine wolves in Washington’s Togo pack are the targets. The hunting lobby and Big Ag are taking advantage of weak endangered species laws to slaughter wolves with impunity. Take action now to protect wolves: Donate $15 to Friends of the Earth Action. The Togo wolf pack lives in Central Washington and is composed of five adults and four wolf pups. This is the fifth time since 2018 that this wolf family has been in the crosshairs. Three years ago, sharpshooters killed the breeding male of the Togo pack, leaving behind his mate and her two pups. Shooters then attempted to eliminate the entire rest of the family in the fall of 2019. Kill orders were again issued for the family in 2020.  Wolves are social animals. Killing a single wolf has horrific impacts on their families as they lose their parents, pups, and valued packmates. And there being fewer wolves has tremendous consequences for our ecosystems. Wolves are already struggling in Washington. As of the end of 2020, the state counted only 132 wolves with another 46 wolves estimated on the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation land.  But it’s not just Washington. 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.  We know what happens when wolves aren’t protected -- when their lives are left up to the whims of Big Ag interests and the trophy hunting lobby. States like Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming have already loosened protections -- and in the last decade, more than 3,200 wolves have been killed. Currently, around 6,000 wolves remain, occupying less than 10% of their historic range.  Wolves are a cherished part of our natural heritage, an icon of wilderness, and an irreplaceable player in ensuring that our ecosystems are healthy and diverse.  Right now, bad actors from Big Ag to the trophy hunting lobby are ruthlessly targeting America’s most vulnerable wildlife. 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 pressuring local decision-makers in states like Washington, Oregon, and Wisconsin, to put a stop to these dangerous, cruel, virtually unrestricted wolf-hunts and unnecessary kill orders. And we are pushing the Biden administration to restore comprehensive protection for wolves before it’s too late.  We’re prepared to fight this fight at every level. For wolves. For endangered species. For all of us.  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 TAKE ACTION: Gray wolves are being SLAUGHTERED in the Rockies. They need protections NOW  States are allowing the senseless and cruel slaughter of gray wolves, threatening the recovery of this iconic species Urge Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to immediately halt this barbaric killing by restoring ESA protections for wolves — starting with gray wolves in the Northern Rockies. Strangled by snares. Run down by vehicles. Slaughtered in dens alongside their pups. This is the epidemic of cruelty facing gray wolves in the Northern Rockies. States like Montana and Idaho are radically altering their wolf management approaches to allow for the unfettered killing of gray wolves using barbaric methods — many of which were outlawed long ago. These practices are being pushed by extreme legislators who are undermining their own states' wildlife professionals. Without immediate intervention, this iconic keystone species could once again be decimated. The good news is that President Biden's Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has the power to institute emergency federal protections for gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act that would halt these barbaric practices and restore science and ethics to wolf management. We can't allow these states to reverse decades of wolf investments and progress. Wolf hunters and trappers are taking to the woods to kill wolves and wipe out entire packs. If we are going to prevent more of these atrocities, we need to act fast: New laws in Idaho and Montana harken back to a time when gray wolves were nearly extinguished. In the early 1900s, extermination programs paid bounties for trapping and killing wolves. But thanks to decades of protection under the Endangered Species Act, gray wolf populations have been able to slowly recover in some parts of their historical range. Through this progress, we have learned just how vital wolves are to maintaining the health and balance of entire ecosystems. Now, those cruel practices that once drove the gray wolf to near extinction in the U.S. are back with a vengeance. Idaho's new policies allow individuals to kill an unlimited number of wolves, kill pregnant wolves and litters of pups, and run-down wolves with ATVs and snowmobiles. Montana's state wildlife agency has been directed to allow similarly extreme, cruel, and outdated tactics, including a wolf bounty. These policies are driven by politics, not science — and threaten the lives of thousands of wolves.  Wolves are critical to our planet's biodiversity and ecological balance. They cull sick elk and deer, making the remaining herd stronger and faster. They keep coyotes in check, which allows smaller animals and their predators like eagles and hawks to flourish. And gray wolves force elk to stay vigilant and move frequently. This allows aspen, cottonwood, and other trees to regrow and beavers and riparian birds to thrive. In addition, gray wolves hold deep cultural and spiritual significance for many Indigenous people. Hundreds of tribes have banded together to urge the federal government to restore national protections for the gray wolf. And along with these tribal leaders, scientists, wildlife managers, and even hunters have called for science and ethics to be restored on wolf management. Sincerely, Jennifer Sherry Wildlife Advocate, Nature Program, NRDC The mission of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is to safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. When gray wolves were prematurely stripped of their federal protections last year, an epidemic of cruelty and senseless killing was catalyzed across the country. After decades of investments and slow progress toward recovery, gray wolves are now facing brutal and archaic attacks that once again threaten their future. In the Northern Rockies states, new rules allow hunters to slaughter wolf pups in their dens, to catch and kill wolves using strangulating neck snares, and to bait Yellowstone wolves out of the national park in order to trap and shoot them — and individuals can be awarded bounty payments for each dead wolf. NRDC is working to put a stop to this, including by calling on Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to enact emergency federal protections for Northern Rockies wolves before it's too late. But across most of the country, the Trump administration's decision to delist gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has paved the way for states to bring back aggressive wolf killing policies that harken back to the wolf extermination campaigns of the early 1900s. That's why NRDC is fighting in court and advocating to bring back the safeguards that once saved the gray wolf from going extinct altogether — and we urgently need your help. Some states are actively working to prevent the presence of wolves within their borders by vilifying wolves and hunting them down as disposable vermin. Earlier this year, it only took Wisconsin hunters three days to wipe out at least 20 percent of the state's wolf population — during which even pregnant wolves were run down with packs of dogs and guns. Now, the state is planning for yet another aggressive hunt to begin this November. This is a critical moment to stand up for wolves nationally and defend a future where they can thrive. With your support, we will stand up for science-based wolf management in court and the halls of government and force the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restore ESA protections to the gray wolf.  The devastation to wolf populations across the country will have ripple effects on our ecosystems long into the future — and this comes at a time when biodiversity and the climate are already in crisis. Wolves are an environmental ally, not an enemy. This is something many Indigenous people of North America have known since time immemorial. More than 120 Tribes and Tribal leaders have collectively called on the federal government to restore protections for the gray wolf. It's time we unite to speak up on behalf of the gray wolf. Sincerely, Dr. Sylvia Fallon Senior Director for Wildlife, NRDC

A new film from Andrew Budziak, Poisoned Earth explores what happens when we chose one animal over another. This documentary looks at a poison program that is happening right in our backyard. At its core, this is a story about our relationship with wolves - a relationship based on love, hate and fear. For the past several years, the Alberta government has been poisoning wolves in an effort to recover a dwindling caribou population. The film looks at the controversial program, its unintended consequences and what needs to be done to ensure both species have a future.

With their piercing looks and spine-tingling howls, wolves inspire both adoration and controversy around the world. Find out how many wolf species exist, the characteristics that make each wolf's howl unique, and how the wolf population in the continental United States nearly became extinct.