Federal Rule to Allow More Hunting of Gray Wolves
State game agencies and private citizens would be allowed to kill federally protected gray wolves that threatened dogs or seriously decreased deer, elk or moose populations in parts of the northern Rocky Mountains, under a federal rule announced Thursday.
The regulation comes a month ahead of the expected federal decision to take the gray wolf off the endangered species list, which would allow wolves to be hunted. That decision is likely to face protracted litigation.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services officials said Thursday that the revised provision would allow for states to deal with areas where wolf activity is affecting wildlife populations while delisting is tied up in court.
“This rule, if it goes forward, could provide a safety valve for the states during the two to three years while the delisting goes through litigation,” said Ed Bangs, Fish and Wildlife’s wolf recovery coordinator. “Whether this rule ever gets used or not, who knows. But if you’re protecting your dog on a Forest Service hiking trail, you’ll be glad this rule exists.”
Environmentalists interpreted the rule as an attempt to skirt delays expected from delisting litigation.
“The shame of it is we spent so much time and effort trying to recover wolves, and were within spitting distance of recovery,” said Doug Honnold, managing attorney for the Northern Rockies office of Earthjustice, a nonprofit law firm. “But instead of securing those recovery gains and building on them, Fish and Wildlife Services is throwing them away. . . . They want the right to kill wolves willy-nilly.”
Honnold said he would file suit and seek an injunction against the rule on behalf of environmental organizations including the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity.
Once ranging from central Mexico to the Arctic, gray wolves were killed off for decades, and their population had virtually disappeared from the American West by the 1930s. They were listed as endangered in 1974.
Since they were reintroduced to central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park in 1995 and 1996, their population has spread throughout the northern Rockies region, swelling to more than 1,500, and it’s growing by about 24% annually, according to wildlife officials.
The rule issued Thursday relies on a revision of endangered-species regulations that allows lethal force against “nonessential experimental populations” like the gray wolf under certain circumstances. The section was created as a compromise with ranchers who were worried about a growing wolf population preying on livestock. Thursday’s revision was the third change to the gray-wolf-reintroduction rule since it was written in 1994.
Currently, gray wolves cannot be killed unless they are preying on livestock or on a dog on private property, or are the main culprit behind dwindling populations of animals such as deer, elk and moose.
The rule change issued Thursday would ease the burden of proof to justify a wolf kill. State agencies would only need to show that wolf predation had been one factor among others for a decreasing population of ungulates, such as elk, deer or moose. A wolf threatening a dog also could be killed. None of the rule provisions apply to wolves within national parks or outside central Idaho and the greater Yellowstone area.
A state agency that wants to kill wolves preying on ungulate populations would have to file a lengthy wolf management plan with Fish and Wildlife. Officials in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana said they had no immediate plan to do so.
“The state of Idaho is more interested in delisting than in changes to [this] rule, which is kind of a stopgap, or an interim measure . . . should delisting be delayed,” said Steve Nadeau, an Idaho Fish and Game official who oversees the state’s wolf program. “We have no plan to use [the rule] unless wolves are not delisted anytime soon.”
The new rule is scheduled to take effect in about a month, around the time the delisting decision is to be announced.
Bangs, who helped lead the reintroduction of gray wolves when the tri-state area had about 10 wolves, said that most elk and other hoofed big-game animal populations were not greatly affected by wolves and that more wolves — about 150 annually — probably would be killed for preying on livestock.
“This is absolutely not a get-out-of-jail-free card for wolf killing,” Bangs said. “This is a highly structured scientific-based process to address real problems. . . . It won’t change the [overall] number of wolves, but it will change distribution and in a few areas the number of wolves.”
Last January, Republican Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter incensed environmentalists when he told a group of hunters on the Idaho statehouse steps that he wanted to be the first to sign up to kill wolves once they were delisted.
© 2008 The Los Angeles Times
Typical. Humans eat meat by choice–not by necessity. they have to use tools and weapons while wolves are born with all the equipment–that’s why wolves and tigers etc are the only ones that can be called true predators.
These people reintroducing wolves probably doing so so they can be hunted. Hunting agencies exist to increase animal populations–not “manage” them.
Really, meat eaters must take the blame.
Wolves attack livestock. But wolves need to eat meat–humans dont.
Wolves need to live in the forest–humans with dogs dont.
Life should trump lifestyle.
Its basic ethics and justice.
If you eat meat you are partly to blame for this.
If people werent eating meat–they wouldnt have the guilt to shut up about recreational hunters and this violent injustice would be lessened.
God, its so embarrassing to be human. The most pathetic organism in the history of the planet–and on top of it, its the most arrogant.
It would be funny if it werent tragic.
Wolves are such a beautiful part of the natural world and have a right to live in the wild.
Why do the miserable Republicans/right-wingers hate everything? They’re such a hateful bunch.
Rethuglicans don’t like competition from other predators
Next comes the pavers! Bob
I agree. Republicans are just hateful.
Don’t take your dog on the trail if you’re worried about it.
Seems like humans actually enjoy punishing living creatures simply for being alive.
Didn’t we (Canadians) just finish helping the US re-stock its hunter-decimated wolf population? What a waste! Next time we otta send them an invoice.
I have established a sanctuary for the Mexican Gray. One does live here (a gorgeous animal to watch), and I am hoping he will find a mate soon. I will defend them (and all other animals) against any human that trespasses on my land.
Remember the Republican/NeoCon Creed
Thou shalt have no predators before me!
Oh, is that right? I’m to blame because I eat meat, huh? Humans have been eating meat for a very long time, and wolves thrived for most of that time. Not eating meat isn’t the solution. We’ve got to go back to a time when what you ate, be it animal or plant, was revered for helping you survive.
I’d also like to point out that PLANTS ARE ALIVE TOO! They deserve just as much respect as animals.
Don’t blame people for simply eating meat. The root of the problem is far deeper than that.
The photo of Cheney (on the panel) is scarier than the photo of the wolf!
If they are committing crimes against humanity, what the hell are a few animal species. I have a suggestion though; since Cheney will definately be out there with his double b, why can’t he take the Neanderthal with him and have another accident!!
Well, I have got to defend the vegetarian (Kelmer) on this one. Look Chimps and Bonobos are our closest relatives and may be reclassified as a sub-type of human. What kind of meat do they eat? Ants. Next time you have that craving for meat, dive into a nice ant bed and start chewing. Or how about that dead squirrel you ran over. Sounds like a meal to me. Meat eaters are wasteful. They use all their crops to produce a few meals. They fight off natural predators for their luxury meal. Think about eating less meat. Save your health and the environment too.
By the way, Republicans should be reclassified as subhuman considering their lack of human compassion.
WTF
Gonna start a wolf dating website?
I cannot contain my outrage at the prospect that the magnificent Gray Wolf will be hunted for sport again. It’s simply bewildering and sad to me how selfish and wasteful a species we are that we cannot respect the complexity and beauty of other species we share this rapidly declining world we inhabit. It is true that there is among us a minority of people that do not have the capacity to understand and feel compassion for the natural world. Those people must be stopped before they deprive us of what beauty there is left.
I encourage everyone to read “Of Wolves and Men” by Barry Lopez, there you will find the majesty and complex beauty of the wolf revealed in all its wonder, and the many negative myths perpetuated through the ages shattered into a million pieces. While you’re at it, see the movie “Never Cry Wolf” as well.
By hunting the wolf we are killing ourselves!
btoven ~ thanks for the reminder about “Of Wolves and Men” and “Never Cry Wolf.” I had forgotten about them but will now resurrect them from my attic to share with others. Their message should never be forgotten.
The grain equivalent to feed a carnivorous human is ~ 400 fold larger than vegetarian (1/8 vs. 50 acre).
Let me re-phrase that. Their having to forgo having any children for the next ~ 400 generations, as I do revere all life.
Namaste … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … Mahatma Gandhi … … … … … … … … … …
« We must be the change we wish to see in the world »
« There is a sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed »
« We adopt the means of nonviolence because our end is a community at peace with itself » — ML King
Keep your dogs in the house and stop eating meat and most of the problem is solved.
Things are getting pretty bad when the picture of the wolf looks 100% better than the picture next to it of the human called Wolfowitz.
‘federal decision to take the gray wolf off the endangered species list’ are these federal decision makers talking about the CITES endangered species list? and if so, what power do they have if it is not sanctioned by CITES? just asking as i haven’t investigated the CITES aspect of this decision and maybe some of you know more about the laws of this rocky mountain area than i do.
ANGUSELHEIMSTUDIOS
i get your point……….
BBR-001
wolves aren’t that scary……………..
Ahem. I will feel the world I live in is poorer without tigers, which will likely happen in my lifetime. I hope you Yanks manage to make a place for wolves.
But let’s keep it real. Chimps, for instance, hunt, kill and eat monkeys as well as ants.
Were I a rancher with wolves nearby, I would hump a couple of tons of Purina dog chow to the back end of their range and scatter it widely.
What happens to these wolves will be hunting only in the sense that Shotgun Dick hunts quail. Helicopters, high powered weapons and poison bait stations will be used to kill these wolves. Then coyotes, foxes, bears, black footed ferrets and everything else will be on the list.
Good to see Hunters inc post here!!
The one good thing about eating wild meat is you are free from the toxic mix given to your food by factory farms. We eat wild meat but we eat what we kill.
BTW we believe all natural species deserve the right to live. Why are you killing thr wolf when humans take over their lands?
Sounds like Israel, they steal land, act like it belongs to them and then bitch when the Palenstians strike back. Greedy bastards exist all over the planet.Fuck isreal!!
If hunters need to shoot something and we can’t do anything about it, how about letting them shoot cows, chickens and pigs but leave wild animals alone. They have a hard enough time trying to balance the ecosystem without hunters interfering.
I live down in the bootheel of New Mexico where wolf vs ranchers issues continue to escalate. On our small piece of land almost two years ago the very week we arrived we saw at dusk a wolf almost 50 feet away. He or she stared and then moved away. We felt it was a welcome. The national forest -Gila is very close.
Months later, noting our horses were jumpy for no apparent reason I heard a wolf call. My first experience and I have to say I was filled with awe.
3.4 million acres and they are raising “issues” with 59 wolves released. I
look and listen but they’ve never returned. Are we afraid? — heck no.
Just knowing they live -most with collars gives me some sense of peace and hope. I may sound overly sentimental but even today I can remember that
wolf call. PS the coyotes are a lot more likely to get our dogs than wolves.
I saw wolves in the wild once, on one of my roadtrips — the Circle Tour around Lake Superior. On the north side we decided to camp on Lake Nipigon (the mosquitos must have taken a quart of my blood). On the road up, we saw a couple black-phased wolves digging at a beaver or muskrat lodge.
They were probably the most beautiful animals I’ve seen in the wild. I have no doubt that they ordinarily present no danger at all to humans. If I were to stumble on them they’d undoubtedly flee.
Furthermore, I have no doubt that humans themselves are responsible for more livestock losses (through rustling) than wolves.
shankari25
You need to pick up an anthropology text.
No species can be classified as a “sub-type of human.” (What, exactly, is that supposed to mean, anyway?) Chimps are members of the family of great apes, which we are not. We might be classified as ‘cousins’ of a sort: we share ancestors, (but neither group is ancestral to the other). Jane Goodall, (I believe it was), was the first person to record images of chimps hunting - and eating - monkeys. This was years ago. You were on the money, Cassandra.
The problem is not that we eat meat, but that many of us eat far too much meat. A far bigger problem is that humans have overpopulated the planet, taken to using up too much of our resources raising farm animals, and have destroyed the natural balance of the planet. (Perhaps it’s too bad there isn’t a species that could mount a hunt to thin our numbers. We as a species are obviously incapable of showing proper restraint ourselves.)
As to wolves: they are truly wonderful creatures. Remarkable in so many ways, and far worthier of respect than the degenerates that want to hunt them. Thanks, btoven: “Of Wolves and Men” is a truly fine book. (There’s a copy in my library.)
Years ago, there was a fella who went into Canada and lived with the wolves for two years. He ran with them, ate the same food they ate and howled with them at night. Over time they accepted his nearby presence. He wrote a book, “I Lived With The Wolves”.
He stated their primary diet was mice, rats and other rodents. If the wolves were gone, he believes we’d be over run with rodents. Anyway it was a great book. Personally, I prefer beavers.
BTW we believe all natural species deserve the right to live. Why are you killing thr wolf when humans take over their lands?
Took the words right out of my mouth, that is truly what it is all about. Too bad republican’s can’t charge each wolf $2000.00 a month to live in their den.
What do you expect from Bush? He hates anything that even remotely related to Native American’s. Skull and Bones ring any bells?
Just Cheney, again eliminating some Competition…
MA_Matriarch:
Write Cindy, and encourage her to direct new sit-ins at the Mausoleum — and force those Yale-Illuminati to Reinter the Bush-donated Skull of Geronimo, and Torrijos’ and Saddam’s while doing-so…
WTF: If you ever need lawyer fees to fight against the repercussions of defending those grays, put a post here on CD. I’ll contribute.
In the meantime, I implore everyone to donate to the NRDC, the Sierra Club (no, they’re not perfect, but…) and the Center for Biological Diversity. As organisations, they really can work wonders, but they need all of our help.
Wolves followed us out of the wild to become our most loyal and trusted companions; it’s our turn to return this favor. Those who would kill our friends would kill us too.
I suppose wealthy ranchers have lobbyists greasing the wheels here. I have been inconsistent in my vegetarianism, but this might give me more motivation.
Republican like to kill things. It wasn’t all that long ago that the republican party got a real chuckle out of selling licenses to hunt and kill liberals. Now, if you bring that up, all you hear is the sounds of crickets chirping.
LOL @ dreamertoo
Thanks thewonderingyou for the offer. I doubt it would ever come to that. I have an understanding with the local hunters: They don’t come near my land or the NF that borders my land, and I wont come looking for them. Tourist hunters are the biggest threat, but they wont come unless there is a complaint from the ranchers - we are pretty remote.
Another book to read: Farley Mowat’s autobiography “Never Cry Wolf” (not the crappy Walt Disney movie). He studied them and found their diet to be almost exclusively mice.
COCO
In a nutshell ..
“..
Conservation Groups Challenge Bush Administration Wolf Killing Plan
“It’s going to be open season on wolves,” says Natural Resources Defense Council
LIVINGSTON, Mont. (January 24, 2008) – Conservation groups say they will file a lawsuit in federal court immediately to block a rule announced today by the Bush administration that will allow the states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming to kill most of the threatened wolves in the Northern Rockies. The new “10(j)” rule widens a loophole in the Endangered Species Act that permits the killing of hundreds of wolves even though the animals are considered at risk of extinction.
“The Bush administration is giving a blank check to the states to slaughter wolves for doing what they need to do to make a living – which is eating deer and elk,” said the NRDC’s Louisa Willcox. “The government spent millions of dollars to reintroduce wolves to the wild in the Northern Rockies, and now it wants to spend millions more to kill them. That’s crazy.”
The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service announced today it will publish the rule in the Federal Register on January 28. The rule allows states to kill wolves that they believe are adversely affecting on elk. But elk numbers in the region are at an all-time high. Despite this fact, the states of Wyoming and Idaho have made it clear that they intend to manage wolves at the minimum allowable level, leaving alive as few as 600 of the 1,500 wolves now living in the region. According to the rule, aerial gunning and shooting from the ground will be used to kill wolves.
The rule precedes an expected decision to remove wolves from the endangered species list next month. After that happens, wolf numbers could be reduced to as few as 300.
.. “
Natural Resources Defense Council
More at ..
http://www.nrdc.org/media/2008/080124a.asp
(I don’t think CITES is specifically concerned with this population.)
I recently read that someone analyzed wolf howls, and found one that was territorial. He recorded that one and used it to warn wolves away from livestock. It worked, they didn’t bother the livestock after that.
kathyodat
DREAMERTOO
thank you for that. it looks like they won’t be happy till they’ve erradicated the wolves……..(the whales, the polar bears, the tigers, the apes,) sick
I hate this administration. Why do they do this to our land and sea? This is not based on reality. What, in their ideals, made destroying gods system, their lifeline?
ezeflyer has an excellent idea. Let the lovers of death and killing shoot cows, chickens, and pigs since they’re going to die anyway to feed people.
In Alaska the previous Republican governor introduced a law to allow the shooting of wolves from planes. The animals don’t have a chance.
Why do Republicans and Republican-lite Democrats love slaughtering sentient beings?
We did the same thing with the mountain lions. Of course eradicanting the buffalo insured the rich English cattle barons could take over and rule our western states. Ironic that we had our Boston Tea Party and eventually a new form of government, ousted King George and now like the Pheonix, he’s risen from the ashes.__”King George” rules again.
~WTF~ That was a great book. One rather humerous thing that occured was, Mowat was eating the same food the wolves ate and as you stated, their diet is mostly mice. He of course carefully skinned and cleaned the mice out before putting them in his stews. Over time he became very weak and quite ill.
He left the wilds for a couple of weeks to seek medical care. The doctors discovered he lacked the essential, for our bodies, vitimins, which are usually derived from animal fat and the only fat in mice is in their intestines. So he fatted up and went back to live with his wolf pack and ate the entire miceies, after carefully cleaning the inner pportion of their intestines. A subject matter which “BeForKids” does not wish for me to bring up. A very good book WTF, and thanks for giving us the proper title.
If you dont want your dog to get eaten by wolves-dont take it into a forest
If you dont want your livestock to be eaen by wolves-dont take it into the forest
If you want to be a cruel sensless monster-shoot an endangerd and beautiful creature to make sure that other beutiful creatures can mutiply in enormuos numbers, and then shoot them, or become a republican
Direct quote from the article:
“Currently, gray wolves cannot be killed unless they are preying on livestock or on a dog on private property, or are the main culprit behind dwindling populations of animals such as deer, elk and moose.
The rule change issued Thursday would ease the burden of proof to justify a wolf kill. State agencies would only need to show that wolf predation had been one factor among others for a decreasing population of ungulates, such as elk, deer or moose. A wolf threatening a dog also could be killed.”
Is there any reason except “I felt like killing wolves” that couldn’t legally be used to justify killing wolves? As for dwindling elk, moose, and deer populations: 1) What are wolves supposed to eat? 2) What do they think would happen to ecosystems when a superpredator such as a wolf is removed? Do the words “food web” or “food chain” mean anything to them? Apparently not–what a shame.