Wolf Science – “When shooting a coyote kills a wolf”
A new paper published this week documents how wolf recovery is hampered by continued human-wolf conflict. The paper points to the illegal killing of wolves by coyote hunters as a primary reason for wolves’ high mortality rates in many areas of the country. We’ve seen several examples of coyote hunters illegally shooting wolves just this year. Take for example the wolf shot by a coyote hunter in Kremmling, Colorado in April, or the famed wolf “Echo” who traveled hundreds of miles from the Northern Rockies to the Grand Canyon only to be shot in February. This paper underscores our view that as wolves continue to recover and disperse to new areas, state wildlife agencies must increase efforts to educate hunters and local communities about the potential presence of wolves, their status as a protected species, and how to tell the difference between wolves and coyotes.
6 groups file for emergency ESA listing for POW wolves.
Six conservation groups on Monday petitioned for an emergency Endangered Species Act listing for the Alexander Archipelago wolf.
Gabriel Scott is a spokesman for Cascadia Wildlands, one of the petitioners. He said the conservation groups had asked that the annual wolf hunt be suspended for a year, but that request was denied.
The federal subsistence wolf hunting season started on Sept. 1, and the subsistence trapping season starts Nov. 15. The state hunting and trapping season opens Dec. 1. The quota for this year, state and federal, is nine wolves.
Scott said he’s disappointed that the request to hold off on this year’s hunt was rejected.
“Our view is just that it’s reckless to manage a wolf hunt the same way for a declining, very low population as it is for a healthy population,” he said. “The way they operate might be fine for a critter like deer that’s not in danger of extinction, but when you’ve got maybe a few dozen wolves left on the island, you can’t treat it the same way.”
A state-run population study, announced in June, indicated that 89 wolves were on Prince of Wales Island and surrounding islands. That’s a steep drop from the previous year’s estimate of 221. That study has prompted increased calls from conservation groups to protect the remaining wolves in Game Management Unit 2.
Scott said he can’t predict how long it will take government agencies to respond to the request for an emergency listing for POW wolves. He notes that the federal government has been reviewing a non-emergency request to list the wolves for a number of years. A decision on that request is anticipated by the end of this year.
Scott said depending on the results of the various requests regarding Prince of Wales Island wolves, a lawsuit is possible.
“Litigation is certainly an option,” he said. “We’d have to evaluate it at the time, but it’s definitely in the cards.”
The six conservation groups that signed on to Monday’s letter asking for an emergency listing are Alaska Wildlife Alliance, Cascadia Wildlands, Center for Biological Diversity, Greater Southeast Alaska Conservation Community, Greenpeace and The Boat Company.
Establish a "NO HUNT" zone for wolves around Yellowstone!
TARGET: Governors of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho
PETITION: Sign that petition here! (6,513 SIGNATURES So Far)
TARGET: Federal Subsistence Board and Alaska Department of Fish & Game,...
PETITION: Sign that petition here! (71,597 SIGNATURES So Far)
With the continual progress on Prince of Wales Island and open roads, it appears to be making it easier for poachers and hunters to trap and kill the rare Archipelago wolves, placing these animals on an endangered list. The wolf population in the area is at an all-time low, probably only in the low 100s compared to the 1990s when numbers ranged up to 350 animals.
We are trying to work in support of the Defenders of Wildlife by creating this petition by asking the Federal Subsistence Board to take immediate action in closing the hunting and trapping season for Alexander Archipelago wolves in Alaska's Game Management Unit (GMU) 2. This rare wolf is only common in southeast Alaska and coastal British Columbia. They rely on their forestry habitat and their wilderness in order to survive. The new highway construction projects are causing a threat to the animals because it is make them more susceptible to hunting and trapping.
If the hunting and trapping of these rare animals continues in light of progress, the Archipelago wolves will become a thing of the past. Our effort is to encourage the Federal Subsistence Board to issue an emergency closure of the Archipelago wolf hunting season. You can help by signing and sharing this petition and save this rare species. Sign that petition here!
Two Wolves Found Dead in Oregon Raise Poaching Suspicions. The pair was raising pups, which are now on their own.
Typically, wolves don’t die in groups.
So when Oregon state officials found two dead adult wolves within 50 feet of each other on Aug. 24, it raised some questions.
Officers with the state fish and wildlife division are now investigating the mysterious deaths but have declined to comment on how the endangered animals died.
State police spokesperson Bill Fugate told a local radio station that the deaths occurred under “unnatural” circumstances, and that the animals could have been poached.
The two dead wolves were found in the northeast part of the state after the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife received an alert that one of its wolf GPS collars was emitting a “mortality signal,” said department spokesperson Michelle Dennehy.
OR-21, a female wolf that had been collared in June 2013 by the department, was one of the victims. She left her pack in 2014, found a mate, and had pups earlier this year. The department labeled the new group the Sled Springs pair and announced the wolves’ presence in the region so local ranchers could take steps to avoid “wolf-livestock conflicts.”
With OR-21 and her mate’s deaths, the fate of the orphaned five-month-old pups is uncertain, but the department is hopeful.
Billionaire’s Bid to Save Rare Wolves Ends Up on the Brink of Extinction
“At this stage, they’ll be fully weaned, and it’s not atypical for pups of this age to make it through the winter season,” Dennehy said.
But Amaroq Weiss, who handles West Coast wolf issues at the Center for Biological Diversity, isn’t so sure.
“Their survival chances are iffy at best,” Weiss said. “They’ll know how to bring down smaller animals, but their mother shows them how to hone the skills of hunting bigger prey, and now they won’t have that chance.”
An even bigger concern for the pups, Weiss said, is that with their lack of hunting ability, they could start targeting easier prey—such as livestock.
“People think that shooting wolves will lead to less conflict with livestock, but there’s proof that’s not the case,” she said.
But how does killing wolves result in more dead livestock? One study conducted by scientists at Washington State University that looked at 25 years of wolf predation and killing statistics from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that for each wolf killed, the odds of death by wolf predation rose by 4 percent for sheep and 5 to 6 percent for cattle.
“When you disrupt a pack, it only leads to more predation,” Weiss said.
Since 2007, state officials have confirmed that four wolves have been illegally killed in Oregon. There are 77 wolves known to reside in nine packs in Oregon, with a majority located in the state’s northeast corner.
Poaching the protected species can bring a year in jail and a fine of up to $6,250.
Police are asking anyone with information about the wolves’ deaths to contact Senior Trooper Kreg Coggins at (541) 426-3049, call the poaching tipster hotline at (800) 452-7888, or email tip@state.or.us.
It's one of the sickest stories I've heard in a long time: Last fall in eastern Washington, a man spotted a wolf, chased him several miles in a truck, and then shot him twice, leaving the wolf to suffer until government agents could end his misery. Donate Now
Breaking: Pitiful Fine for Wolf Killer.
Stop the wolf killing with a gift today.
We've waited nearly a year to hear the punishment for Jonathan Rasmussen -- wolves are protected under Washington's Endangered Species Act. The local prosecutor just announced his decision.
Rasmussen was fined $100.
The wolf was the first in Whitman County, Wash., in a century and there was no sign that he was chasing livestock. His death was cruel and pointless. And sadly, senseless killings like this happen far too often.
The shooter who killed Echo, the first wolf to travel to the Grand Canyon in 70 years, claimed he mistook her for a coyote and was never charged. We've seen other wolves caught in foot traps before they're shot or paraded through town on top of cars once they've been killed.
It's the same kind of bloodlust that drove wolves to the brink of extinction 100 years ago -- and it has to stop. I know wolf lovers are infuriated by what's happened. We need your help to turn this anger into action.
A donation to the Predator Defense Fund will go right to our intensive work to save wolves and their families from the Jonathan Rasmussens of the world.
The Center for Biological Diversity is fighting for wolves everywhere -- and we've won again and again. The most important tool in protecting them is the federal Endangered Species Act -- and this case shows exactly why local law enforcement can't be entrusted with wolves' fate.
A $100 fine for killing a wolf is a joke, but saving wolves is serious. Let the killers know you stand with wolves -- give $100 to the Predator Defense Fund. Or $5, $50, whatever you can spare.
With the help of members like you, our lawyers and scientists are pursuing the most aggressive pro-wolf agenda in the country. While other groups may be resigning themselves to losing the wolf wars, we'll never stop fighting for these animals. It may be too late for the wolf up on Washington's Palouse, but it's not too late to save the next one.
A new paper published this week documents how wolf recovery is hampered by continued human-wolf conflict. The paper points to the illegal killing of wolves by coyote hunters as a primary reason for wolves’ high mortality rates in many areas of the country. We’ve seen several examples of coyote hunters illegally shooting wolves just this year. Take for example the wolf shot by a coyote hunter in Kremmling, Colorado in April, or the famed wolf “Echo” who traveled hundreds of miles from the Northern Rockies to the Grand Canyon only to be shot in February. This paper underscores our view that as wolves continue to recover and disperse to new areas, state wildlife agencies must increase efforts to educate hunters and local communities about the potential presence of wolves, their status as a protected species, and how to tell the difference between wolves and coyotes.
6 groups file for emergency ESA listing for POW wolves.
Six conservation groups on Monday petitioned for an emergency Endangered Species Act listing for the Alexander Archipelago wolf.
Alexander Archipelago wolf (Canis lupus ligoni) in the Tongass National Forest of southeast Alaska. ADFG photo.
In a letter addressed to Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Daniel Ashe and Regional Director Geoffrey Haskett, the groups cite the recent drop in the estimated wolf population on Prince of Wales Island, and the decision by state and federal officials to move forward with a wolf hunting and trapping season there.Gabriel Scott is a spokesman for Cascadia Wildlands, one of the petitioners. He said the conservation groups had asked that the annual wolf hunt be suspended for a year, but that request was denied.
The federal subsistence wolf hunting season started on Sept. 1, and the subsistence trapping season starts Nov. 15. The state hunting and trapping season opens Dec. 1. The quota for this year, state and federal, is nine wolves.
Scott said he’s disappointed that the request to hold off on this year’s hunt was rejected.
“Our view is just that it’s reckless to manage a wolf hunt the same way for a declining, very low population as it is for a healthy population,” he said. “The way they operate might be fine for a critter like deer that’s not in danger of extinction, but when you’ve got maybe a few dozen wolves left on the island, you can’t treat it the same way.”
A state-run population study, announced in June, indicated that 89 wolves were on Prince of Wales Island and surrounding islands. That’s a steep drop from the previous year’s estimate of 221. That study has prompted increased calls from conservation groups to protect the remaining wolves in Game Management Unit 2.
Scott said he can’t predict how long it will take government agencies to respond to the request for an emergency listing for POW wolves. He notes that the federal government has been reviewing a non-emergency request to list the wolves for a number of years. A decision on that request is anticipated by the end of this year.
Scott said depending on the results of the various requests regarding Prince of Wales Island wolves, a lawsuit is possible.
“Litigation is certainly an option,” he said. “We’d have to evaluate it at the time, but it’s definitely in the cards.”
The six conservation groups that signed on to Monday’s letter asking for an emergency listing are Alaska Wildlife Alliance, Cascadia Wildlands, Center for Biological Diversity, Greater Southeast Alaska Conservation Community, Greenpeace and The Boat Company.
Establish a "NO HUNT" zone for wolves around Yellowstone!
TARGET: Governors of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho
PETITION: Sign that petition here! (6,513 SIGNATURES So Far)
Ever since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995, park attendance has continued to climb. People come from all over the world to have the chance to see one of the wolves that have been featured in so many reports, studies and documentaries and followed on social media. The wolves bring millions of visitors and their tourism dollars to the region each year, with Montana, Wyoming and Idaho all benefiting from their successful reintroduction. Unfortunately, all three of these states also allow wolves to be “harvested” just outside of the park's borders. Just last week, a very public, beloved wolf known as 889F, was killed, just outside of her normal territory north of the park in Montana's 6 month (yes, 6 MONTH) wolf hunt. This wolf was not only loved and followed by many people in the course of her short 3 years, but she was also collared. Some of Yellowstone's wolves are collared for research purposes, at great effort to scientists and park personnel, and at the taxpayer's expense. Allowing these collared wolves to be killed indiscriminately during these states' wolf hunts not only defeats the purpose of collaring in the first place, but also defies common sense and hunters' ethics. Many “wolf haters” have admitted to specifically gunning for collared wolves.
Even worse, some of these “haters” also admit to intentionally gut shooting wolves or allowing them to starve to death in leghold traps, as some sort of twisted revenge against a federal government they revile. It's time to put an end to the cruelty and killing in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The states of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho can no longer use wolves for profit while, at the same time, trying to figure out how many of them can be blown away each fall. Establishing a “NO HUNT/NO KILL” zone for wolves around the park is essential to protecting not only the Yellowstone wolves but also the integrity of our nation's greatest national park. It's simply unfair to use the wolves to draw tourists, photographers and researchers while allowing them to be killed the moment they step over our invisible boundaries! Sign that petition here!
Stop the Hunt & Kill of the Rare Archipelago wolves.
TARGET: Federal Subsistence Board and Alaska Department of Fish & Game,...
PETITION: Sign that petition here! (71,597 SIGNATURES So Far)
We are trying to work in support of the Defenders of Wildlife by creating this petition by asking the Federal Subsistence Board to take immediate action in closing the hunting and trapping season for Alexander Archipelago wolves in Alaska's Game Management Unit (GMU) 2. This rare wolf is only common in southeast Alaska and coastal British Columbia. They rely on their forestry habitat and their wilderness in order to survive. The new highway construction projects are causing a threat to the animals because it is make them more susceptible to hunting and trapping.
If the hunting and trapping of these rare animals continues in light of progress, the Archipelago wolves will become a thing of the past. Our effort is to encourage the Federal Subsistence Board to issue an emergency closure of the Archipelago wolf hunting season. You can help by signing and sharing this petition and save this rare species. Sign that petition here!
So when Oregon state officials found two dead adult wolves within 50 feet of each other on Aug. 24, it raised some questions.
Officers with the state fish and wildlife division are now investigating the mysterious deaths but have declined to comment on how the endangered animals died.
State police spokesperson Bill Fugate told a local radio station that the deaths occurred under “unnatural” circumstances, and that the animals could have been poached.
The two dead wolves were found in the northeast part of the state after the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife received an alert that one of its wolf GPS collars was emitting a “mortality signal,” said department spokesperson Michelle Dennehy.
With OR-21 and her mate’s deaths, the fate of the orphaned five-month-old pups is uncertain, but the department is hopeful.
Billionaire’s Bid to Save Rare Wolves Ends Up on the Brink of Extinction
“At this stage, they’ll be fully weaned, and it’s not atypical for pups of this age to make it through the winter season,” Dennehy said.
But Amaroq Weiss, who handles West Coast wolf issues at the Center for Biological Diversity, isn’t so sure.
“Their survival chances are iffy at best,” Weiss said. “They’ll know how to bring down smaller animals, but their mother shows them how to hone the skills of hunting bigger prey, and now they won’t have that chance.”
An even bigger concern for the pups, Weiss said, is that with their lack of hunting ability, they could start targeting easier prey—such as livestock.
“People think that shooting wolves will lead to less conflict with livestock, but there’s proof that’s not the case,” she said.
But how does killing wolves result in more dead livestock? One study conducted by scientists at Washington State University that looked at 25 years of wolf predation and killing statistics from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that for each wolf killed, the odds of death by wolf predation rose by 4 percent for sheep and 5 to 6 percent for cattle.
“When you disrupt a pack, it only leads to more predation,” Weiss said.
Since 2007, state officials have confirmed that four wolves have been illegally killed in Oregon. There are 77 wolves known to reside in nine packs in Oregon, with a majority located in the state’s northeast corner.
Poaching the protected species can bring a year in jail and a fine of up to $6,250.
Police are asking anyone with information about the wolves’ deaths to contact Senior Trooper Kreg Coggins at (541) 426-3049, call the poaching tipster hotline at (800) 452-7888, or email tip@state.or.us.
It's one of the sickest stories I've heard in a long time: Last fall in eastern Washington, a man spotted a wolf, chased him several miles in a truck, and then shot him twice, leaving the wolf to suffer until government agents could end his misery. Donate Now
Breaking: Pitiful Fine for Wolf Killer.
Stop the wolf killing with a gift today.
We've waited nearly a year to hear the punishment for Jonathan Rasmussen -- wolves are protected under Washington's Endangered Species Act. The local prosecutor just announced his decision.
Rasmussen was fined $100.
The wolf was the first in Whitman County, Wash., in a century and there was no sign that he was chasing livestock. His death was cruel and pointless. And sadly, senseless killings like this happen far too often.
The shooter who killed Echo, the first wolf to travel to the Grand Canyon in 70 years, claimed he mistook her for a coyote and was never charged. We've seen other wolves caught in foot traps before they're shot or paraded through town on top of cars once they've been killed.
It's the same kind of bloodlust that drove wolves to the brink of extinction 100 years ago -- and it has to stop. I know wolf lovers are infuriated by what's happened. We need your help to turn this anger into action.
A donation to the Predator Defense Fund will go right to our intensive work to save wolves and their families from the Jonathan Rasmussens of the world.
The Center for Biological Diversity is fighting for wolves everywhere -- and we've won again and again. The most important tool in protecting them is the federal Endangered Species Act -- and this case shows exactly why local law enforcement can't be entrusted with wolves' fate.
A $100 fine for killing a wolf is a joke, but saving wolves is serious. Let the killers know you stand with wolves -- give $100 to the Predator Defense Fund. Or $5, $50, whatever you can spare.
With the help of members like you, our lawyers and scientists are pursuing the most aggressive pro-wolf agenda in the country. While other groups may be resigning themselves to losing the wolf wars, we'll never stop fighting for these animals. It may be too late for the wolf up on Washington's Palouse, but it's not too late to save the next one.
