Wolf Weekly Wrap-up

May 20, 2011

Clashes in Oregon – By and large, Oregon has led the way in responsible wolf management in recent years. They put in place a solid wolf management plan with overwhelming public support for recovery, and many Oregon ranchers have adopted nonlethal techniques for reducing conflict between livestock and wolves, including turbofladry and carcass removal. But this week, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife had to make some tough decisions. After numerous reports of livestock losses this spring, ODFW made plans to remove two wolves from the Imnaha pack believed to be responsible for the depredations. Sadly, both wolves were killed this week and permits were issued to ranchers allowing them to shoot wolves only if caught in the act of attacking livestock. So far, it appears ranchers are willing to abide by those rules. One couple, who has been camping out with their cattle herd to deter wolf attacks, even refrained from taking aim at a wolf that was prowling nose-to-nose with their animals. That’s the kind of patience and tolerance that will allow people and wolves to coexist on the landscape over the long run.

Idaho still going wolf crazy – If only the state of Idaho could learn a few things from Oregon. Instead, the craziness continued as federal agents for USDA’s Wildlife Services took to the skies last week to gun down five wolves from small aircraft. By their own admission, the aerial gunning was both “ineffective” and “expensive”—not to mention totally uncalled for since the control action was taken simply to boost elk numbers in northern Idaho. Our federal tax dollars should not be used to subsidize the hunting industry. Wildlife Services has an important role to play in educating ranchers and helping them implement practices to protect their livestock without killing wolves. Boosting game populations should not be on their agenda.

More aerial gunning has been put on hold in this area, at least for now. But the state has given permission to licensed outfitters to kill more than 50 wolves this spring while they’re in the backcountry hunting bears. Sheriff’s deputies in the small town of Elk City have also been authorized to kill wolves that local residents claim have been getting too close. Some residents are demanding that all the wolves in Idaho be killed. The atmosphere seems more like a witch hunt than wildlife management.

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission met this week in Lewiston and outlined their goals for the upcoming hunting season, but final details won’t be forthcoming until their July meeting in Salmon, Idaho. We’ll be calling on all our wolf supporters to weigh in and voice their support for responsible wolf management that fosters tolerance rather than continued hysteria.

The problem of wolf hunting – Well-known author George Wuerthner offered his thoughts on wolf hunting this season over at New West with responses (and solid data) to counter popular misconceptions. Here are a few excerpts:

Are there too many wolves?

“…the desire to reduce wolf numbers in the region is more a reflection of intolerance by some members o f the region—primarily hunters and ranchers. Politics is driving wolf delisting, not biology and that important distinction should be emphasized over and over again.”

Were the original recovery goals scientific?

“The original population goals of 100 wolves in each state were not based upon biology but politics. This is important because the ESA clearly says that biology should drive listing and recovery decisions.”

Are wolves ruining livestock industry?

“The number of domestic livestock killed annually by wolves incredibly small compared to other sources of mortality…What’s more, most of the livestock conflicts are self-created by poor animal husbandry practices.”

Will wolf hunting reduce livestock conflicts?

“Contrary to popular perception wolf hunting likely exacerbates human conflicts by disrupting the social ecology of wolf packs. Hunting wolves tends to skew populations towards younger animals that are less skillful at hunting…”

“Most hunting takes place on the larger blocks of public lands. They do not hunt on the fringes of urban areas nor is there a lot of hunting on private ranchlands due to limited access. Thus the wolves that are killed are not the ones most likely to be involved in any livestock depredation or a potential threat to public safety (even though that threat is greatly exaggerated).”

Too many elk? How ‘bout some wolves? — This story in High Country News dissects the ongoing challenges of managing abundant elk herds in Rocky Mountain National Park. Much like at Yellowstone several decades ago, few natural predators remain for elk in RMNP. As a result, elk herds are mowing down vegetation in sensitive areas, which has a ripple effect throughout the ecosystem. Elk eat all the aspen and willow trees, birds, butterflies and beavers disappear, wetlands vanish, the land dries out. (In case you haven’t seen it yet, check out Greenfire’s Lords of Nature from , which details the important role that predators play in the ecosystem)

Park managers are now considering ways to thin the elk herds in an attempt to protect the landscape from this fate. It’s hard to believe but they’re leaning toward an elk artificial birth control program rather than pursuing wolf reintroduction as Yellowstone did. We’ll be working with our supporters across the West in the months and years to come to support continued wolf recovery across the region, in hopes that wolves may someday return to Colorado and restore the natural balance of predator and prey.

If only the state of Idaho could learn a few things from Oregon. Instead, the craziness continued as federal agents for USDA’s Wildlife Services took to the skies last week to gun down five wolves from small aircraft. By their own admission, the aerial gunning was both “ineffective” and “expensive”—not to mention totally uncalled for since the control action was taken simply to boost elk numbers in northern Idaho. Our federal tax dollars should not be used to subsidize the hunting industry. Wildlife Services has an important role to play in educating ranchers and helping them implement practices to protect their livestock without killing wolves. Boosting game populations should not be on their agenda.