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.
Raena Garcia,
Fossil fuels and lands campaigner,
Friends of the Earth Action
