Defenders of Wildlife: gray wolves running scared

What is the point of spending decades of time and millions of dollars to make headway in restoring healthy populations of an endangered animal, the gray wolf, only to delist it from ESA protection prematurely, then turn around and allow it to be shot and hunted from a population of thousands--down to genetically unsustainable hundreds?

Would they do that to bald eagles or black-footed ferrets? No, but with wolves--it's a different story.

Defenders of Wildlife announced on August 18, 2009 that Idaho plans to eliminate at least 22 percent of current gray wolf population:

• Idaho announces plan to hunt 220 wolves beginning September 1st , with ultimate goal of 518 in the state (approximately half the current population) - marking the first time wolves have ever been hunted as a game species in the continental United States.

• It is irresponsible and biologically unsound to be hunting wolves when they are not fully recovered as a regional population and should not have been removed from the endangered species list.

• Defenders of Wildlife and other conservation groups intend to file an emergency motion in court to suspend the hunts and temporarily place wolves back on the endangered species list before too much damage is done.

The Idaho Fish and Game announced that beginning September 1, Idaho will allow 220 wolves to be killed in the first-ever state regulated hunt of gray wolves in the continental United States – In response, Defenders of Wildlife and other conservation groups will most likely file a request for a preliminary injunction to temporarily restore federal protections to the regional wolf population until the court reaches a final decision in the plaintiffs’ pending legal challenge to the delisting.

Idaho’s announcement comes on the heels of Montana’s plan to hunt 75 wolves starting in October. These numbers would be over and above the wolves already killed each year by other means of lethal control in response to conflicts with livestock and natural deaths. All these actions combined threaten the recovery of the still vulnerable regional wolf population in the Northern Rockies.

The following statements are from Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife:

“It is almost beyond comprehension that we find ourselves in this situation, after coming so close to successfully restoring a population of wolves to their natural habitat in the Northern Rockies. Now, due to the ill-advised and overly hasty decision by Secretary Salazar to strip wolves of federal protections before they were fully recovered, the states are free to reduce the wolf population down to 150 per state – a potential loss of over two-thirds of the region’s wolves.”

“The heavy-handed wolf hunt now scheduled by Idaho, together with the hunt planned by Montana, demonstrates precisely the kind of irresponsible state management that should have precluded taking the wolf off the endangered species list at this point in time.”

“Rather than committing to ensure the long-term recovery of wolves, Secretary Salazar’s decision, like that of his predecessor in the Bush administration, has forced us again to ask the court to reverse a delisting rule that threatens to undo the wolf restoration that we have worked so hard for over the years. Hopefully we can make a difference before it is too late.”

The following statements are from Suzanne Stone, Northern Rockies representative for Defenders of Wildlife:

“We had hoped at this point to be celebrating the recovery of the gray wolf in the Northern Rockies. Instead, after decades of recovery efforts, tremendous support and investment from the American public, impressive efforts by federal, tribal and state wildlife agencies, and one of the most successful wildlife restorations in history, the future of the gray wolf in the Rocky Mountains is once again in serious jeopardy.”

“Idaho hosts the core of the Northern Rockies wolf population, with approximately 1000 wolves. By wiping out 220 wolves, the state will cripple the regional wolf population by isolating wolves into disconnected subgroups incapable of genetic or ecological sustainability. It’s only a matter of time before Idaho’s state legislature enforces their demand that all wolves be removed ‘by whatever means necessary,’ which is still the state’s official policy on wolves. Today’s announcement underscores the key problem with the federal delisting rule: it only requires maintaining 150 wolves per state. That’s a completely inadequate population goal if you hope to maintain any semblance of connectivity and genetic viability.”

“Even if Idaho and Montana begin cautiously; the fact remains that there is absolutely no law or binding commitment in place that could stop them from decimating the population down to a mere 150 per state. And even then, there’s no guarantee that the federal government would step in.”

“No other endangered species has ever been delisted at such a low population level and then immediately hunted to even lower unsustainable levels. This isn’t wolf recovery; it’s a rejection of responsible wildlife conservation principles.”

President Obama promised that decisions made by his administration would be based on sound science and not politics. Ken SalazarKen Salazar, Secretary to the Department of Interior, evidently didn't get that memo. His appointment has been controversial from the beginning. The Secretary's record on managing gas, coal, and oil leases has been good, but his decisions on managing wildlife has displayed the personal bias of his rancher/landowner history. As a member of the Cattlemen's Association, Salazar comes from a culture where man dominates animals and wildlife. Especially, animals that are considered a nuisance--like wolves.

Links:
Learn more about what Defenders is doing to help wolves in the Northern Rockies

Related articles:

Ken Salazar under fire again for failing to protect endangered wildlife

Wildlife coalition will battle Salazar to save gray wolves

With Sarah Palin gone shooting wolves from airplanes under fire
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Defenders of Wildlife is represented in this litigation by Earthjustice, along with plaintiffs Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, The Humane Society of the United States, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Friends of the Clearwater, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands Project, Western Watersheds Project, Wildlands Project, and Hells Canyon Preservation Council.

Main Source of this report: Defenders of Wildlife press release August, 18, 2009 No copyright restrictions