Theme by nostrich.
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
I keep getting emails from the NRDC to “Save the Wolves from Mass Slaughter,” “Donate Money Now to Run Our Ad,” and other imploringly sensational letters. So I decided to do my own research, see the veracity of their claim that “the Bush Administration is determined to allow the killing of wolves – and to reverse and environmental success story paid by the American people – just to satisfy politically powerful constituencies.” This is what I found.
Gray wolves were practically extinct in the US by the 1940s. In fact, a Time article describes the last two wolf pups in Yellowstone National Park were killed by rangers in 1924. Wolves were later included in the endangered list in the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966.
In 1995, the government reintroduced gray wolves into Yellowstone to restore the natural balance of wildlife (the elk in the Park were fat and complacent and would overgraze the area. The reintroduction of the wolf would make them disperse to other areas, which is good). 41 wolves were captured from Canada and transported to Yellowstone, and 35 to Central Idaho. It resulted in great success, as the population has grown to about 1,500 wolves in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
Now because of the rapid population growth and because of the persuasion from Idaho & Wyoming’s state legislature, the wolves will be removed from the Endangered Species list. The Endangered Species Act is currently being revised to include a rule that gives states the right to manage reintroduced species. It requires that each state protect only 20 breeding pairs and 200 total wolves, thus allowing for the killing of 900 recently protect wolves.
“Butch” Otter, Idaho’s governor says “I’m prepared to bid for that first ticket to shoot a wolf myself.”
The NRDC describes in its ads the imminent aerial killing of the wolves (targeting and killing wolves from planes), in a likely attempt to arouse outrage amongst viewers. Further research shows that, indeed, aerial killing is still going strong in the US with Alaska as one of the biggest culprits. Aerial killing in Idaho and Montana is not out of the question (growers want to protect their livestock). The law began in the late 1800s when the federal government sought to protect livestock growers from wildlife predators.
Here’s a NYTimes article. And if you’re so inclined, here’s an easy way to take action.
