Coming Soon: A World without Wolves?

Photo of gray wolf by Tracy Brooks

Photo of gray wolf by Tracy Brooks


Wolves were rescued from the brink of extinction in the 1970s.
But since they lost endangered species protection in 2011 and states started "managing" them, 1,703 wolves have been slaughtered in just five states. Now they may lose protection nationwide. Help us stop this tragedy!

Wolves' Future: Protection or Slaughter?

Introducing Our New Film, "The Imperiled American Wolf"

 

Wolves were rescued from the brink of extinction over 35 years ago when they gained federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. Today the American wolf is again in grave danger.

Since President Obama removed the gray wolf from the endangered species list in April 2011 and turned management of these majestic animals over to state wildlife agencies, 1,703 wolves have been senselessly slaughtered by sport hunters and trappers alone in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota and Wisconsin (see sport kill totals in sidebar at right). 1,158 of these wolves were killed during the 2012-13 season alone. This "kill tally" does not include the scores of wolves slaughtered by federal and state predator control programs.

The situation is now dire, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service intends to remove protections for wolves across nearly the entire country. This will be disastrous for gray wolf recovery.

Our new film, "The Imperiled American Wolf," explains the reasons wolves cannot be successfully managed by state wildlife agencies: not only do their methods ignore the core biology of how wolves hunt and breed, but their funding depends on hunting and trapping fees. In fact, current wolf management may actually lead to wolves' demise. Predator Defense and this film make a bold call for federal relisting of these important apex predators as endangered species.

The war being waged against wolves is senseless and tragic, and it is up to all of us to speak out now on their behalf. Read more about how the war is playing out in different parts of the country below. Better yet, take the steps listed below to stop the slaughter.

Wolf Slaughter about to Spread Nationwide! Delisting Proposed in Lower 48 States

On June 7, 2013 the Obama administration proposed removing gray wolves from federal protection in the remaining states where they are still covered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  

 

What does this ruling mean?  In 2011 and 2012 wolves were delisted in five of the states that had managed to establish significant populations--Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota and Wisconsin.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's new proposal would allow all other states in the lower 48 to establish wolf hunting and trapping seasons with the prospect of killing any wolves that might migrate in from neighboring states.  This would essentially preclude the establishment of any significant wolf populations in the remaining states.  

The Obama administration has specifically and relentlessly targeted the American wolf.  First, under Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, wolf populations that were thriving were delisted and put under state control where hunters and trappers systematically and indiscriminately have begun to kill down their populations, fragmenting packs and destroying the social cohesion essential to pack suvival.  Approximately 25 percent of those wolves have already been killed since the 2011 delisting.  

Now one of the first actions under Obama's new Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, is to propose removing protection from wolves in all the remaining states, with exception of Arizona and New Mexico where federal protection for the Mexican gray wolf, a subspecies, will continue.  The same forces that have driven the political decision to delist wolves across the U.S.—ranching and hunting interests—are responsible for the pathetic failure to protect and restore the Mexican wolf.  The reintroduced wolves there have been repeatedly and illegally poached by hunters and ranchers, leaving only 73 alive.

The final ruling to delist wolves nationwide is expected in 2014.  A required 90-day comment period is open June 13-September 11, 2013. During this time the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is to review and address concerns of the public and other interested parties.  Public hearings will be requested and held prior to the final decision. Please register your comment against the USFW's tragic and ill-advised proposal today.

ACT NOW! Please contact decision-makers and urge continued federal protection of wolves in all states by taking the following actions:

1. Make an official comment against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's tragic and ill-advised proposal to delist wolves in the lower 48 states during their 90-day comment period, June 13-September 11, 2013:


To contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for purposes other than the official comment detailed above, call them at (800) 344-9453 or write them at www.fws.gov/duspit/contactus.htm.

2. Contact the Obama administration and your federal representatives (Senate and House) and ask them to send a message to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

3. Contact Interior Secretary Jewell: (202) 208-3100, feedback@ios.doi.gov, Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20240.

4. Sign on to the Protect America's Wolves and the Relist Wolves petitions.

5. Expand our reach by making a contribution. Any amount truly helps.

We'd like to extend a special thanks to Congressmen Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Ed Markey (D-MA), along with the 53 other federal representative cosigners, who asked USFWS to keep ESA protection for wolves. We have enjoyed a wonderful working relationship with Representative DeFazio for over two decades and greatly appreciate his dedication to exposing the abusive operations of the USDA Wildlife Services' lethal predator control program.

Removal from Federal Endangered Species List Spells Doom for American Wolves

On April 15, 2011, when President Obama signed the federal budget into law, he also signed the death warrants for hundreds of wolves. Montana Senator Jon Tester had added a last-minute wolf-killing rider to the budget bill that removed wolves from the federal Endangered Species Act and prohibited further judicial review. As a result, conservation interests are no longer able to legally intervene.

Never in the history of the Endangered Species Act has a species been delisted because of politics. Wildlife management and politics have hit a new low and established a dangerous precedent. Now management of wolves is left to states, and already state managers are opening hunting seasons on wolves who have just managed to gain a toe hold and reoccupy territory from which they were extirpated by ranching and agricultural interests just a few decades ago.

Wolf management has swung full circle in 50 years from extermination to recovery, and now back again. Free roaming packs of wolves in America will be lucky to survive, much less thrive, anywhere outside of the national parks, where they are protected.  Hunters and trappers are gaining access to those wolves as well, by lying in wait for them when they cross the park boundaries, as has happened in Montana.

Please read the following for more details:

In Wake of Delisting, Wolf Slaughter Continues Relentlessly; States Nationwide Getting Set for 2013–14 Hunting and Trapping Seasons

The "war on wolves" is rapidly spreading across America.  More aggressive hunting and trapping seasons are slated in states where wolves are already delisted.   In anticipation of nationwide delisting, other states are amping up anti-wolf actions in preparation for killing seasons. Please act now to stop this travesty

Each state is using both of their two wildlife decision-making bodies—the state legislature and the fish and wildlife commission—to put wolf-killing laws and regulations into place.  Ranching and hunting interests historically dominate state commissions and legislatures, so the playing field is not level.  It is therefore no surprise that state wildlife management decisions are based on political special interests, as opposed to science.


Utah and South Dakota Prepared to Set Wolf Seasons, Even without Extablished Populations
Utah and South Dakota do not have established wolf populations, but that has not stopped state lawmakers from moving bills in preparation for killing seasons.  South Dakota has reclassified wolves from "protected" to "varmint" status, meaning they will have no protections and wil be treated like rodents.  Part of the state's population was included under the Great Lakes wolf delisting, the remainder will lose protection when/if the feds delist the entire species nationally. 

Like South Dakota, Utah is racing to get ready to kill wolves in anticipation of national delisting, but the sought after status there is "game animal." In the small northern corner of South Dakota where wolves lost protection when Northern Rockies wolves were delisted, no wolves are permitted to become established.

Two Years of No Protection is Killing Northern Rockies Wolves

IDAHO - Idaho had the largest wolf population in Rockies, with approximately 1,000 before delisting.  By the end of the second year of hunting and trapping seasons, the population was reduces to about half that size. As of May 28, 2013, a grand total of 697 Idaho wolves have been killed by trophy hunters and trappers since delisting.  Keep in mind these figures do not include hundreds killed for damage control by government and private sources.  Read more

It's no wonder the kill numbers are high when tags sell for a bargain $11.50 with 5 hunting and 5 trapping tags allowed per hunter, no quotas in much of the state, and very few hunting restrictions.  For more details, visit Idaho Fish and Game.

MONTANA - Montana is fast becoming the most wolf-agressive state in the nation. Both their legislature and their wildlife commission have actively worked at liberalizing wolf killing by increasing the length of the kill season, allowing the first wolf trapping season (which permits up to three wolves to be killed per trapper), and no longer imposing a statewide kill limit.  By the season's end on February 28, 2013, 391 Montana wolves had been killed by hunters since delisting. 

Hunters and trappers even waited outside the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park to kill protected wolves, including some wearing GPS collars being studied by scientists within the park.  Among those wolves killed was the alpha female of the famous Lamar Canyon pack who was well known to and photographed by tourists.  The outcry resulted in a temporary hunting/trapping closure which was quickly overturned by the courts, and finally a law was passed making boundary areas officially open to hunting and trapping.  More legislation is moving rapidly to reduce restrictions to all predator hunting and to allow extreme wolf killing practices, such as the use of snares, electronic calls, and even the skinned carcasses of pack members as bait. For more details, read these articles:

Learn more about how Montana has ignored science to support bad wolf management decisions and sign the petition to Montana's governor to help their wolves. Details on Montana wolf hunting policies are available on the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks website.

WYOMING - Wolves lost federal protection in Wyoming in September 2012, thanks to the urging of the Obama administration, which is courting the wrong group of voters. Inspite of the fact that Wyoming ranchers lost only 26 cows to wolves (out of a total of 1.3 million head of cattle in the state), agriculture special interests are controlling wolf management decisions. 

The status of wolves in Wyoming has plummeted from endangered to "predator," meaning in the majority of the state wolves can be shot on sight. Shooting, aerial gunning, trapping and just about any other kill method is permitted  on the 330 estimated wolves in the state. Even females and pups are fair game. 

As of May 16, 2013, hunters have killed 85 wolves, including as many as 10 wolves who strayed from the protected boundaries of Yellowstone National Park (YNP) where they were being studied.

 

For further information visit the Wyoming Fish & Game Department website.

Midwest Gray Wolves Also Under the Gun

In January 2012, wolves in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin were placed under the control of state managers, with frightening results. You can see the true "sporting" nature of wildlife decision-makers at work in Michigan, but in Minnesota and Wisconsin wolf advocates are fighting back and have taken up the gauntlet to prevent or mitigate wolf-killing seasons.

MINNESOTA - Minnesota's 3,000 wolves form the largest population in the lower 48 states.  By the end of the barely three-month hunting and trapping seasons in early 2013—which include traps, snares, baiting and electronic calling—412 wolves were killed, exceeding the kill quota of 400. Read more on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website. 

But activists are rallying for Minnesota wolves! A bill has been introduced and is gaining traction to place a five-year moratorium on the wolf hunt.  Howling for Wolves, a Minnesota advocacy organization, is largely responsible for this remarkable effort!  KEEP UP THE PRESSURE!

WISCONSIN - Wisconsin's aggressive hunting and trapping seasons have taken a toll on their wolf population, estimated at 850 before delisting.  By the close of the 2013 season, Wisconsin hunters and trappers had killed 117 wolves (the entire quota of 116, plus one more).  Wisconsin is the only state where wolves are hunted with packs of dogs, but this may change due to a senate bill.   Additional information is available on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website.

In Wisconsin a bill to prohibit the use of dogs to hunt wolves has been introduced and is being supported by advocacy organizations.  A legal battle around the extreme practice of pitting dogs against their wild ancestors has waged since the wolf hunt began this year. 

MICHIGAN - Dirty politics is keeping wolf killing going in Michigan in spite of public opposition.  In 2012, after 40 years of federal Endangered Species Act protection, the wolf population of Michigan was estimated at 700, with only four verified depredations on livestock by wolves in the state that year.  But the Michigan legislature passed a bill declaring wolves a "game animal" in preparation for establishing killing seasons. A coalition of activists quickly organized to launch a ballot measure to kill the wolf season and miraculously managed to collect 255,000 signatures to qualify the  referendum in a matter of weeks. 

Sadly, their efforts were undermined by anti-wolf legislators who quickly fast-tracked a bill (SB228) that undercut the advocates' tireless work.  In May 2013 the governor happily signed the bill into law before the signatures could even be verified. The law allows the Department of Natural Resources to establish game animal status, thus nullifying the voters' ability to challenge the hunt because decisions made by the governor-appointed commission cannot be addressed or changed by citizens' initiatives. Learn more about dirty politicking in Michigan.

Future Uncertain for Washington and Oregon Wolves

State wolf management plans in Washington and Oregon do not yet permit hunting or trapping seasons, but ranchers have pushed their political clout with state wildlife agencies, resulting in the killing of wolves in violation of both the state wolf plans and the endangered species act. Wildlife agencies in both Washington and Oregon have issued kill orders without confirmation of wolf predation on livestock, and without confirmation that the required non-lethal controls were in place. This behavior may change in Oregon due to a recent settlement reached with the ODFW and litigating conservation organizations.

WASHINGTON - In late September 2012 the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) aerial-gunned and shot to death the remaining members of the Wedge Pack. WDFW took this extreme action in response to complaints from a single rancher—a rancher who refused to cooperate with the WDFW and implement non lethal controls and who publicly stated that he believes there is a conspiracy to force him to remove his cattle from public lands grazing.  The WDFW actions clearly demonstrate the overbearing control agriculture special interests hold over state wildlife management. In 2013 an emergency rule went into effect allowing ranchers to kill wolves without a permit for attacking pets or livestock.

While no public wolf hunt is yet permitted in Washington, one native American tribe has already established a hunting season. Read more on the Colville Tribe website.

OREGON - In Oregon legal challenges to wolf kill orders have successfully kept lethal controls at bay since fall 2011, but a settlement reached at the end of May 2013 voids the court-ordered stay and allows lethal control under certain specific circumstances.

Wolves were driven out of Oregon over 50 years ago and were never reintroduced. Instead, Oregon's current fledgling population of approximately 54 wolves was founded by wolves who migrated here in the last few years from Idaho. The species was federally listed as endangered in the mid-1970s and became endangered in Oregon in 1987 when the state adopted its own Endangered Species Act. In the last few years wolves have gained and lost federal endangered species protection during a complicated series of legal actions.

On April 15, 2011, Oregon wolves were federally delisted, which means their protection (or persecution) is now under state control.  Oregon wolves remain covered under the state endangered species act. 

While the Oregon Wolf Plan is better than most, the change to state management puts our fledgling population at much higher risk because of the tremendous influence and power agricultural and ranching interests hold in Salem. Right now these interests are working hard to weaken protection, and allow them to kill wolves at their discretion. The Oregon Cattleman’s Association and the Oregon Hunters Association are at the forefront of state legislative efforts to override the management plan and allow the killing of wolves struggling to return to Oregon.

Just hours after the state took over management of wolves, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) killed two members of Oregon's first established pack.  Successful legal challenges filed in October when ODFW sought to kill two more members of this pack resulted in all kill orders being put on hold.  During the ensuing year while the killing was prohibited, the number of confirmed wolf depredations decreased significantly from a dozen to four, clearly demonstrating the benefits of nonlethal over lethal control methods.

A settlement reached in May 2013 lifted the stay on killing and allows lethal control of wolves by the state and  by ranchers under specific circumstances.  Some of the conditions required before lethal controls are permitted include that: (1) nonlethal practices be in place and documented for several months on the premises where predation is occurring, and (2) depredation be chronic as defined by four confirmed incidents within six-month period.  Ranchers will be allowed to kill wolves without a permit under certain conditions such as wolves seen attacking or chasing livestock.

The success of this settlement hinges on cooperation of the ODFW and the ranching community, and on transparency and open communication.  Only time will tell if such a relationship can be forged and maintained. 

In spite of great odds against the wolves, Oregon now has six packs, and an estimated population of 46 wolves as of the end of May 2013.  In the absence of lethal control the population grew by 50 percent, and the incidence of livestock depredations decreased 75 percent,  With some luck and less lethal intervention Oregon wolves will continue to flourish and once again be heard howling in our wild lands. 

Current updates on wolves are available from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, as well as on our Wolves in Oregon page.

Predator Defense's Position on Wolves in Oregon

Biological

The first and perhaps most important reason we support wolf recovery in Oregon is to restore ecosystem processes and function. As a major predator, wolves have shaped prey populations for thousands of years. Wolf predation differs from human hunting mortality, primarily taking the young and old, rather than the largest and healthiest animals. In addition, wolf predation helps to balance prey numbers with available habitat, ensuring that plant communities get periodic rest from heavy browsing or grazing influences of herbivores. Wolves can also affect habitat use-for instance in Yellowstone there is evidence that wolf presence has shifted elk use from valley bottom riparian areas to uplands, benefiting riparian vegetation. Finally the presence of wolves can also affect the population and distribution of other smaller predators like coyotes, foxes and skunks. Changes in the population and distribution of these species can have cascading effects on other species from ground-nesting birds to small mammals.

The second reason we support recovery is an ethical consideration. Wolves were once an important ecological component of Oregon. We believe there is an ethical obligation to restore extirpated species, whenever practical. There is no practical reason not to restore the species and Oregon should embark on a restoration program immediately.

Third, there is a legal requirement by the state of Oregon to protect state listed endangered species, which the wolf is one.

We believe there are sufficient prey, space, and habitat in Oregon to support viable wolf populations.

Geographical Locations

Based upon several criteria including human population density, prey availability and core protected habitat areas; there are three primary Oregon wolf recovery areas, and several other secondary areas that could support viable wolf populations. The three main areas are the Blue/Wallowa Mountains /Hells Canyon region of eastern Oregon, Cascades and the Siskiyou/Klamath region of southwest Oregon and northern California.

In addition, we believe that wolves could potentially be reestablished in portions of the Coast Range and isolated mountain ranges of southeastern Oregon like Steens Mountain, Hart Mountain, Trout Creek and Warner Mountains.

Population Visibility

Based upon prey Oregon could easily support several thousand wolves. This would include protection from persecution from livestock interests of the three major Oregon recovery areas-Blue Mountains, Cascades and Siskiyou.

Management Considerations

Predator Defense recommends the following management to enhance recovery for wolves. Management actions should favor wolves, not human commercial enterprises.

1. No lethal controls of wolves. (See above for recommendations). Even after minimum viable population objectives are reached, no lethal control should ever occur on public lands.

2. Livestock operations should adopt animal husbandry practices that minimize predator opportunity. This includes use of guard animals, calving and lambing sheds, avoidance of active predator den and rendezvous sites.

3. Eliminate current practice of dumping livestock carcasses in pastures. All carcasses should be buried.

4. Where conflicts exist between livestock producers and wolves, the state should always mandate that wolves be favored. For instance if predation occurs on a grazing allotment, the livestock should be removed, not the wolves.

5. In order to ensure the success of wolf recovery efforts, all lethal predator control in occupied wolf territories should be discontinued.

6. Hunting of prey populations should be managed to “share” prey with wolves. Thus in years of reduced prey availability, hunter take of prey species should be reduced so as not to harm wolf prey base.

Additional Information

Read our Wolf Plan comment letter to the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife.

For the most current information on wolf issues, including legislation, please visit Ralph Maughan's Wildlife News website.


Donate Now!

Stop the Delisting!

Please make an official comment against the USFWS's tragic and ill-advised proposal to delist wolves in the lower 48 states during their 90-day comment period, which ends Sept. 11, 2013. Comment Now

National Campaign to Stop America’s Wolf Slaughter Begins with Billboards near Yellowstone

Photo of Yellowstone wolf billboard

We now have five of these billboards greeting tourists coming to Yellowstone National Park from Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.

"Wolf Myths & Facts"

Learn what wolf hunters and trappers don’t want to believe and don’t want you to know

CNN Headline News Investigates Attack on Wolves

Video of CNN Headline News interview with Jane Velez-Mitchell

CNN host Jane Velez-Mitchell interviews our executive director on the "genocide" of wolves by sport hunters currently underway in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Watch video | How you can help

Wolf Sport Kills Since 2011 Delisting

GRAND TOTAL reported kills: 1,703 wolves and counting (as of 6/6/13). 1,158 of these wolves were killed during the 2012-13 season alone.

NORTHERN ROCKIES reported kills: 1,173 wolves

- Idaho: 698 wolves (454 hunter kills + 244 trapper kills). Season closed 3/31/13.
- Montana: 391 wolves (294 hunter kills + 97 trapper kills). Season closed 2/28/13.
- Wyoming: 85 wolves as of 5/16/13.

GREAT LAKES kills: 529 wolves
- Minnesota: 412 wolves (213 hunter kills + 199 trapper kills). Season closed.
- Wisconsin: 117 wolves (55 hunter kills + 62 trapper kills). Season closed.

NOTE: This kill talliy does not include the scores of wolves slaughtered by federal and state predator control programs. USDA Wildlife Services data for fiscal year 2011 showed a total of 353 wolves killed in the states, with 200 in Minnesota alone.

The Challenges Wolves Face

The following articles describe the challenges wolves face across the country:

Our Position on Wolves

Read Predator Defense's position on wolves in Oregon

 

Other Animals at Risk

How You Can Help

With your help—writing letters, posting flyers or making a donation—we can expand our efforts to save native predators and stop illegal hunting, trapping, and extensive predator-killing programs.

Get involved. DONATE TODAY!