Activists Say “No” To Mexican Gray Wolf Extinction Bill: This week, more than 100 activists in southern New Mexico staged a protest outside of Congressman Pearce’s office, speaking out against Congressmen Pearce and Gosar’s Mexican gray wolf extinction bill. If passed, the bill would remove Endangered Species Act protections for Mexican gray wolves, the most endangered population of gray wolves in the country. At the rally, activists even went into the Congressman’s office to request a “stay of execution” on the death sentence for lobos. Outside of this successful event, many other lobo supporters have been speaking out in the media, letting the world know how important wolves are to Arizona and New Mexico. Check out these great photos of the Mexican gray wolf rally and stay tuned for updates on the egregious bill.
Is the U.S. abandoning red wolves? There may be as
few as 50 red
wolves left in the wild – and now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is making reckless
decisions that could destroy any remaining hope these struggling wolves have for
survival. FWS recently announced plans to put its efforts to recover red wolves
on hold and we fear they may abandon the Red Wolf Recovery Program entirely.
Just as things were entering a critical stage for red wolves, FWS delivered this
blow – and is now refusing to move forward until they “study” the program more.
If the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service doesn’t step up and get serious about
recovering red wolves soon, these critically endangered wolves will slide toward
extinction in the wild – not because of natural causes but because of
bureaucratic foot-dragging and power politics. Stand up for red wolves now!
The post Wildlife Weekly Wrap-Up appeared first on Defenders of Wildlife Blog.
FWS recently announced plans to put its efforts to recover red wolves on hold, and we fear they may abandon the Red Wolf Recovery Program in the wild. What’s worse, FWS is legally responsible under the Endangered Species Act for saving red wolves from extinction.
Tell Secretary Jewell to direct FWS to fully implement red wolf recovery!
FWS has consistently failed to recover red wolves. Defenders has gone to court three times to get the agency to do its job. Just as things were entering a critical stage for red wolves, FWS delivered this blow – and is now turning their back while wolves continue to be killed and is refusing to move forward until they “study” the program more.
If the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service doesn’t step up and get serious about recovering red wolves soon, these critically endangered wolves will slide toward extinction in the wild – not because of natural causes but because of bureaucratic foot-dragging and power politics.
Help save the last remaining wild red wolves
Is the U.S. abandoning red wolves? There may be as
few as 50 red
wolves left in the wild – and now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is making reckless
decisions that could destroy any remaining hope these struggling wolves have for
survival. FWS recently announced plans to put its efforts to recover red wolves
on hold and we fear they may abandon the Red Wolf Recovery Program entirely.
Just as things were entering a critical stage for red wolves, FWS delivered this
blow – and is now refusing to move forward until they “study” the program more.
If the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service doesn’t step up and get serious about
recovering red wolves soon, these critically endangered wolves will slide toward
extinction in the wild – not because of natural causes but because of
bureaucratic foot-dragging and power politics. Stand up for red wolves now!The post Wildlife Weekly Wrap-Up appeared first on Defenders of Wildlife Blog.
FWS
to all but abandon the Red Wolf Recovery Program
There may be as few as 50 red wolves left in the wild – and now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is making reckless decisions that could destroy any remaining hope these struggling wolves have for survival. FWS recently announced plans to put its efforts to recover red wolves on hold, and we fear they may abandon the Red Wolf Recovery Program in the wild. What’s worse, FWS is legally responsible under the Endangered Species Act for saving red wolves from extinction.
Tell Secretary Jewell to direct FWS to fully implement red wolf recovery!
FWS has consistently failed to recover red wolves. Defenders has gone to court three times to get the agency to do its job. Just as things were entering a critical stage for red wolves, FWS delivered this blow – and is now turning their back while wolves continue to be killed and is refusing to move forward until they “study” the program more.
If the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service doesn’t step up and get serious about recovering red wolves soon, these critically endangered wolves will slide toward extinction in the wild – not because of natural causes but because of bureaucratic foot-dragging and power politics.
Help save the last remaining wild red wolves
No charges against Utah cougar hunter who killed Echo the wandering wolf: “I had a shot and took it.”
A Beaver County cougar hunter will not face charges for shooting an endangered gray wolf last December.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) investigators concluded the shooter mistook the collared 3-year-old female for a coyote — coyotes are not only legal to hunt year-round in Utah, but subject to a $50 bounty.
"The hunter reported his mistake immediately," said Steve Oberholtzer, FWS regional special agent in charge. "This is a good reminder to all hunters to make sure they identify their target before pulling the trigger."
Conservationists said wildlife managers' decision simply reinforces a double standard when it comes to killing endangered wildlife: All hunters have to do is claim they thought they were aiming at something legal to kill.
"It's wrong on several levels," said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity. "It's part of a broader policy that sends the wrong message."
The gray wolf remains a protected species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act outside the three-state Northern Rockies recovery zone of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Federal law provides criminal penalties for those who "knowingly" kill protected animals. But unknowingly is another matter.
The dead wolf turned out to be the one spotted wandering on the Grand Canyon's north rim and later dubbed "Echo" by a 10-year-old boy from Oregon in a naming contest.
Known to researchers as 914F, Echo had been fitted with a radio collar on Jan. 8, 2014, near Cody, Wyo. The female subsequently covered hundreds of miles across three other states, attesting to the predator's ability to return to its historic range. It weighed 89 pounds when it was killed.
While wolves are known to pass through Utah, no pack has been established here since the predator was exterminated decades ago.
Through a Freedom of Information Act request, Robinson obtained 150 heavily redacted pages from Fish and Wildlife's investigation files. Documents indicate two central Utah men were out before dawn on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014, stalking cougars.
While driving down a Forest Service road in the Birch Creek area of Fishlake National Forest at 9 a.m., they saw a cow they thought was limping. They stopped the truck and hopped out, one of the men holding a .223-caliber hunting rifle with a 10-power scope. As they approached the cow, they saw what they thought was a coyote in the sagebrush and quickly decided to kill it.
"We seen a coyote," one of the men wrote in a statement included in the report. "I jumped out of the truck as the coyote went behind a sagebrush. I had a shot and took it. The coyote just dropped."
The bullet went through the canid's chest cavity, but didn't kill it. When the men walked about 120 yards to their catch, they realized it was still alive and the man pulled out another weapon, this time a .22-caliber pistol.
"I shot two bullets in the head to make sure it was dead," he wrote.
The pair then realized that the animal lying at their feet was a wolf.
The men made eight calls, including to a high school acquaintance who happened to be a state conservation officer. When they couldn't reach him, they drove to his home to report the kill.
The officer drove to the scene of the shooting with a second officer, then notified federal wildlife officials of the wolf's death.
A necropsy yielded mammal hair in the dead wolf's stomach. It belonged to elk and deer, not livestock, Robinson said.
Target: Attorney General Loretta Lynch
Goal: End policy that allows hunters who accidentally kill wolves get off without penalty unless authorities can prove they knew they were shooting a wolf.
An unnamed hunter in Utah killed the first gray wolf seen near the Grand Canyon in nearly 70 years, and he won’t face criminal charges because he thought he was shooting a coyote. The gray wolf is protected in Utah under the Endangered Species Act, but apparently that doesn’t matter if you murder the animal by accident.
The man won’t be charged thanks to the unfair McKittrick policy, which requires that prosecutors have evidence that hunters know they’re shooting a wolf. Michael Robinson with the Center for Biological Diversity says this policy makes the burden of proof too high and undercuts the protections of the Endangered Species Act.
Utah officials have said they are going to hold orientations teaching hunters how to tell the difference between a wolf and a coyote, but that is not enough. What’s the point of supposedly trying to protect a species when you’ll let accidents wipe them out? Urge officials to do away with the ridiculous McKittrick policy and take a stand for protecting innocent wolves.
Dear Attorney General Loretta Lynch,
An unnamed hunter in Utah killed the first gray wolf seen by the Grand Canyon in nearly 70 years recently, and he won’t face criminal charges because of the unfair McKittrick policy, which requires that prosecutors have evidence that hunters know they’re shooting a wolf.
This policy makes the burden of proof too high and undercuts the protections of the Endangered Species Act. What’s the point of supposedly trying to protect a species when you’ll let accidents wipe them out? I urge you to do away with the ridiculous McKittrick policy and take a stand for protecting innocent wolves.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Drew Avery
There's a new bill in Congress that would make it legal to kill the most famous wolf in the world, his mate and their new pups.
OR-7 traveled hundreds of miles to become the first wolf in California in nearly a century, earning the admiration of millions. He then settled down with a mate, and wildlife officials have just announced they have a new litter of pups. But this young pack is in danger -- new legislation will put OR-7 and his family in the crosshairs.
The Center for Biological Diversity is fighting to keep OR-7 and other wolves safe in the West. You can help with a contribution to the Predator Defense Fund.
This deadly new bill would end federal protection for wolves in much of the West, including OR-7's home in the Rogue-Siskiyou National Forest. Wolves have barely started to recover west of the Rockies -- there are only 145 across more than 250,000 square miles. When Echo, the first wolf at the Grand Canyon in more than 70 years, was gunned down in December, it showed what can happen to wolves who return to their historic range. Now right-wing politicians want to make sure the same thing happens to OR-7's pack.
You can help stop this bill with a donation to the Predator Defense Fund.
This bill ends protection in the heart of the rugged wild, where wolves roamed for millennia until they were wiped out by the extermination campaigns of the early 20th century. If the wolf-haters have their way, a new massacre will obliterate them again.
The Center knows how to win for wolves -- just last year we ended wolf hunting in Wyoming, stopped a predator killing contest in Idaho, and pressured the governor of Washington into ending the slaughter of the Huckleberry pack. Our lawyers, scientists and activists are committed to preserving protection for wolves under the Endangered Species Act, and seeing them return across the West.
Your gift to the Predator Defense Fund will sustain this work and help protect wolves as they journey home.
