Off endangered list, wolves face new pressure from hunters

[Guest guest]

Off endangered list, wolves face new pressure from hunters

 

This image provided by Tony Saunders shows Saunders displaying a wolf he shot

south of Bondurant, Wyo., on April 6, 2008. Gray wolves in the Northern Rockies

are being hunted freely for the first time since they were placed on the

endangered species list three decades ago, and nowhere is that easier than

Wyoming. By MATTHEW BROWN (Associated Press Writer)

From Associated Press

April 27, 2008 2:21 PM EDT

BILLINGS, Mont. - Tony Saunders stalked his prey for 35 miles by snowmobile

through western Wyoming's Hoback Basin, finally reaching a clearing where he

took out a .270-caliber rifle and shot the wolf twice from 30 yards away.

 

Gray wolves in the Northern Rockies have been taken off the endangered species

list and are being hunted freely for the first time since they were placed on

that list three decades ago, and nowhere is that hunting easier than Wyoming.

 

Most of the state with the exception of the Yellowstone National Park area has

been designated a " predator zone, " where wolves can be shot at will.

 

For Saunders, killing that wolf was a long-awaited chance to even things out

because he has lost two horses to wolves and blames the canines for depleting

local big game herds.

 

" It's hard for people to understand how devastating they can be, " said Saunders,

39, who ranches at Bondurant, Wyo., 30 miles southeast of Jackson, Wyo.

 

Since federal protection was lifted March 28 and states took over wolf

management, 37 wolves have been killed, just over 2 percent of their population.

Since 66 animals were transplanted to the region 13 years ago, an estimated

1,500 now roam Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

 

Environmental and animal rights groups plan to file a lawsuit Monday seeking an

emergency injunction to block the killings and trying to put wolves back on the

endangered list.

 

They predict that if states continue to control the animals' fate and proceed

with public hunts, wolves could be driven back nearly to extermination in the

region.

 

" There will be opportunistic shooting 365 days a year. This will become a

continual black hole for wolves, " said Franz Camenzind with the Jackson Hole

Conservation Alliance, which is joining the lawsuit.

 

Despite the removal of wolves from the endangered list, killing them in the

Northern Rockies is nothing new. Last year, a record 186 were shot, primarily by

wildlife agents, for killing and harassing livestock.

 

But since the beginning of this year, 59 wolves already have been reported

killed in the three Northern Rockies states, about three times the 19 killed

over the same period last year - most of them just in the month since they lost

federal protection.

 

State officials blamed this year's increased hunting in part on heavy snow,

which kept wolf packs at lower elevations where sheep and cattle range.

 

" That's the reality of managing wolves in a modern landscape. Some of them are

going to be removed, " said Eric Keszler, spokesman for the Wyoming Game and Fish

Department.

 

In fact, entire packs have been legally killed off in past years because of

livestock conflicts, according to biologist Mike Jimenez with the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service.

 

With public hunts planned this year, federal biologists project the three states

will maintain a population of 883 to 1,240 wolves at least for the next few

years - well above the government's goal of maintaining a population of at least

300 wolves.

 

But wolf advocates say the states could systematically cull the population right

down to that minimum unless a court intervenes.

 

Idaho and Wyoming in particular have a " hostile legal regime " that is stacked

against wolves, said Doug Honnold, the Earthjustice attorney preparing the

lawsuit.

 

" If anybody can kill wolves, you have no way of ensuring wolf killing isn't

excessive, " he said.

 

Honnold and other advocates say a minimum of 2,000 to 3,000 wolves is needed to

protect their genetic diversity. They contend the government was on track to

meet that goal when it caved in to political pressure and stripped the species

of endangered status.

 

Some state officials and ranchers, including Saunders, acknowledge a lingering

hostility for wolves, which had been exterminated in the region in the 1930s.

 

" There's times I'd like to get rid of all of them, but that's not realistic

either, " Saunders said. " And I'd like for my son one day to be able to hunt

them, too. "

 

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not

be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know, it's what we know for sure

that just ain't so.

- Mark Twain

[Guest guest]

, fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote:

>

> Off endangered list, wolves face new pressure from hunters

>

> This image provided by Tony Saunders shows Saunders displaying a

wolf he shot south of Bondurant, Wyo., on April 6, 2008. Gray wolves

in the Northern Rockies are being hunted freely for the first time

since they were placed on the endangered species list three decades

ago, and nowhere is that easier than Wyoming. By MATTHEW BROWN

(Associated Press Writer)

> From Associated Press

> April 27, 2008 2:21 PM EDT

> BILLINGS, Mont. - Tony Saunders stalked his prey for 35 miles by

snowmobile through western Wyoming's Hoback Basin, finally reaching a

clearing where he took out a .270-caliber rifle and shot the wolf

twice from 30 yards away.

>

> Gray wolves in the Northern Rockies have been taken off the

endangered species list and are being hunted freely for the first

time since they were placed on that list three decades ago, and

nowhere is that hunting easier than Wyoming.

>

> Most of the state with the exception of the Yellowstone National

Park area has been designated a " predator zone, " where wolves can be

shot at will.

>

> For Saunders, killing that wolf was a long-awaited chance to even

things out because he has lost two horses to wolves and blames the

canines for depleting local big game herds.

>

> " It's hard for people to understand how devastating they can be, "

said Saunders, 39, who ranches at Bondurant, Wyo., 30 miles southeast

of Jackson, Wyo.

>

> Since federal protection was lifted March 28 and states took over

wolf management, 37 wolves have been killed, just over 2 percent of

their population. Since 66 animals were transplanted to the region 13

years ago, an estimated 1,500 now roam Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

>

> Environmental and animal rights groups plan to file a lawsuit

Monday seeking an emergency injunction to block the killings and

trying to put wolves back on the endangered list.

>

> They predict that if states continue to control the animals' fate

and proceed with public hunts, wolves could be driven back nearly to

extermination in the region.

>

> " There will be opportunistic shooting 365 days a year. This will

become a continual black hole for wolves, " said Franz Camenzind with

the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, which is joining the lawsuit.

>

> Despite the removal of wolves from the endangered list, killing

them in the Northern Rockies is nothing new. Last year, a record 186

were shot, primarily by wildlife agents, for killing and harassing

livestock.

>

> But since the beginning of this year, 59 wolves already have been

reported killed in the three Northern Rockies states, about three

times the 19 killed over the same period last year - most of them

just in the month since they lost federal protection.

>

> State officials blamed this year's increased hunting in part on

heavy snow, which kept wolf packs at lower elevations where sheep and

cattle range.

>

> " That's the reality of managing wolves in a modern landscape. Some

of them are going to be removed, " said Eric Keszler, spokesman for

the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

>

> In fact, entire packs have been legally killed off in past years

because of livestock conflicts, according to biologist Mike Jimenez

with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

>

> With public hunts planned this year, federal biologists project the

three states will maintain a population of 883 to 1,240 wolves at

least for the next few years - well above the government's goal of

maintaining a population of at least 300 wolves.

>

> But wolf advocates say the states could systematically cull the

population right down to that minimum unless a court intervenes.

>

> Idaho and Wyoming in particular have a " hostile legal regime " that

is stacked against wolves, said Doug Honnold, the Earthjustice

attorney preparing the lawsuit.

>

> " If anybody can kill wolves, you have no way of ensuring wolf

killing isn't excessive, " he said.

>

> Honnold and other advocates say a minimum of 2,000 to 3,000 wolves

is needed to protect their genetic diversity. They contend the

government was on track to meet that goal when it caved in to

political pressure and stripped the species of endangered status.

>

> Some state officials and ranchers, including Saunders, acknowledge

a lingering hostility for wolves, which had been exterminated in the

region in the 1930s.

>

> " There's times I'd like to get rid of all of them, but that's not

realistic either, " Saunders said. " And I'd like for my son one day to

be able to hunt them, too. "

>

> Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This

material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

>

> What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know, it's what we

know for sure that just ain't so.

> - Mark Twain

>

 

I'm all for animal rites, but the question is why are they off the

endangered species list, if it's because of over population and fear

of them killing off to mack of the other widlife endangered well in

the imortal words' in natureof Charles Darwin it is " survival of the

fittest " and we are part of nature. Though I do not advocate animal

violence, animal beget animal they are both capable of being violent

creatures. One hunts and so does the other one of the thing that

seperates them is the reason why, and that is what humans need to

relize remember humane, humanity, human, it's what we are supposed to

be. The full definition of humanity has not yet been relized by all,

cause even I am trying to learn my full potential.

Ps. What about those, blue karnie butterflies they need land. land

preservstion is part of Living Green,and land saved for one creature

helps create for others hence, eco system.

 

Lets Grow!

[Guest guest]

they are off the endangered species list because of age old fears, because humankind can not abide another predator, because humankind can not get over superstition, and fear...

the are off the endangered species list because of money

because ranchers make a big stink

and anything that could ever possibly maybe hurt the bottom line of any cow slavers is a big no no...

same rerason why the slaughter buffalo that wander outside the yellowstone national park boundary....

angelod119 Apr 27, 2008 3:21 PM Re: Off endangered list, wolves face new pressure from hunters

 

 

 

>I'm all for animal rites, but the question is why are they off the endangered species list, if it's because of over population and fear of them killing off to mack of the other widlife endangered well in the imortal words' in natureof Charles Darwin it is "survival of the fittest" and we are part of nature. Though I do not advocate animal violence, animal beget animal they are both capable of being violent creatures. One hunts and so does the other one of the thing that seperates them is the reason why, and that is what humans need to relize remember humane, humanity, human, it's what we are supposed to be. The full definition of humanity has not yet been relized by all, cause even I am trying to learn my full potential.Ps. What about those, blue karnie butterflies they need land. land preservstion is part of Living Green,and land saved for one creature helps create for others hence, eco system. Lets Grow!

 

 

 

 

What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know, it's what we know for sure that just ain't so.

- Mark Twain

[Guest guest]

Hi Angelod...

 

Just before commenting... one quick request - any chance you could snip the

posts you're replying to a bit, so that folks on Digest don't have to read

through lots of extra material to get to your answers - thanks :-)

 

> I'm all for animal rites, but the question is why are they off the

> endangered species list, if it's because of over population and fear

> of them killing off to mack of the other widlife endangered well in

> the imortal words' in natureof Charles Darwin it is " survival of the

> fittest " and we are part of nature.

 

Actually, it was Herbert Spencer. Darwin spoke of " natural selection " , which

is quite a different thing!

 

BB

Peter