Wolf Weekly Wrap-Up

Oh, Idaho: Less than a week after wolves in Idaho were officially delisted, some state lawmakers are calling for drastic reductions to the wolf populations. Anti-wolf extremists like rancher and Republican State Sen. Monty Pearce are pushing Idaho Fish and Game to manage down to just 150 wolves per state. Pearce wants hunting to begin immediately, putting hundreds of wolves at risk of needless killing.

Idaho Statesman reporter Rocky Barker covered the story and talked to our wolf expert Suzanne Stone who had this to say about the Republican lawmakers’ proposal:

“There will be people in the Legislature who have had their way so long they will be compelled to try to reduce wolf numbers. My biggest fear is this mob-like mentality is going to dictate management in the future.” — Suzanne Stone

Idaho Fish and Game is also considering sending small planes and helicopters in to north-central Idaho to remove up to 50 wolves in order to boost game populations (read the story here). The plan mirrors Idaho’s “10j” proposal that was approved but never implemented once wolves were delisted.

Hopefully, as the Statesman called for in an editorial this week, reason and responsible management will ultimately prevail.

Montana may hunt 220 wolves: At its hearing yesterday, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission set an initial quota of 220 wolves for its planned fall hunt. According to statistical models prepared by Fish Wildlife and Parks, removing that number of wolves would leave between 425 to 526 wolves at the end of the year, including animals killed in response to livestock depredations. The new quota would remove nearly 40% of the state wolf population, and nearly triple the number of wolves removed during the 2009 wolf hunt (75). The proposed quota is too high and Defenders will be arguing for it to be reduced. Comments on the proposal will be accepted through June 20, and a final decision is expected by July 14.

Wolves get 0.2% of blame for dead cows: Yesterday, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service released its “Cattle Death Loss” report that comes out every five years. The data is compiled based on reports from livestock producers and is not confirmed by wildlife experts.

As in previous years, all predators (including wolves) account for only a fraction of total livestock losses. Nationwide, almost four million head of cattle were lost in 2010 out of 94 million. Of the four million head of cattle lost, 220,000 were reported as lost to predators. More than half were killed by coyotes and nearly 10 percent were killed by dogs.

Wolves were reported as responsible for 8,100 cattle deaths, which is 3.7% of all loses to predators and just 0.2% of livestock losses to all causes. For comparison, more than 1.5 million cattle died from respiratory and digestive problems, more than 36,000 died from poisoning, and more than 15,000 were reported stolen.

The percentage of livestock lost to wolves is naturally higher in states with higher wolf densities, something Defenders is trying to address through our Wolf Coexistence Partnership. There’s still much room for improvement in places like Idaho where only one-fifth of ranchers report using guard animals or fencing to protect their livestock from predators.

We’ll be providing a more detailed analysis in coming weeks, but for now you can read the full report here.

Michigan’s Miller Makes Anti-wolf Move: According to an AP report, Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) introduced a bill earlier this week that would eliminate federal protections for wolves all across the lower 48. The most extreme anti-wolf groups like Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife and Big Game Forever were quick to praise the move, showing that once again Congress is willing to sell out America’s wildlife to the most fanatical special interest groups.

Wolves in the Northern Rockies have already lost protection, and wolves in the western Great Lakes are on their way to an official delisting. But wolves in places like Wyoming still need protection, as do Mexican wolves in the Southwest, the most endangered population of wolves in the entire world.

This legislation is clearly an attempt to prevent any further recovery of wolves in the U.S. It undermines our nation’s commitment to good stewardship and dispenses entirely with the scientific process that is supposed to govern the recovery of endangered species. Help us fight back against Congresswoman Miller and her radical proposal sponsored by these vehement wolf haters.