Demand an End to Ranchers Killing Wolves

By the 1930s, the wolf had been trapped, hunted, and poisoned to near extinction, saved only by the Endangered Species Act in 1973. The reason why humans began eliminating wolves from most of their historical range is because, as agriculture flourished, much of the wolves' prey base was destroyed. With the prey base removed, wolves began to prey on domestic stock. Even though wolves typically hunt wild animals such as elk and deer, they'll occasionally prey on livestock when they have the opportunity. These innocent animals are being killed to protect livestock and preserve “more desirable” wildlife species like deer. Likewise, there is increased pressure from society that desire predator protection. However, we must ask ourselves if our actions of killing wolves are actually benefiting our environment. In fact, these actions are part of our future resource base, and are we prepared to face the consequences if wolves become extinct one day?
Back in the days, the public, including biologists, weren't as well educated about the concepts of the ecosystem as they are today. At the time the wolves' hunting was viewed as a mass of destruction and unfortunately some individuals still believe so. Wolves were seen as bad predators because they attacked their pray who weren't as aggressive, and, people didn't realize it's part of the ecosystem. According to an article called “Wolf Restoration”, between 1914 and 1926, at least 136 wolves were killed in the park; by the 1940s, wolf packs were rarely seen. Today, we are more aware of how the food chain functions and how essential wolves are for our ecosystem.
On the other hand, wolves negatively affect many individuals who depend on livestock to provide for their families. For instance, in an article called “Wolves Running Wild in the West”, the Soulen family have lost more than 800 sheep to wolves, which has a huge impact on their livelihood. Also, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks cooperated on a study with Kellenberg and Mark Hebblewhite, UM associate professors, in which analyzed data from ranchers in western Montana, including farming records and spatial data on wolf pack locations confirmed attacks on 18 ranches. The study showed wolf kill for an average ranch consisting of 264 head of calves. It finds a decrease of 22 pounds in the average weight of calves across the herd implies a $6,679 loss at sale for an affect ranch. Unfortunately, families are experiencing financial loss, and now, the Soulens and other ranchers believe they have the right to kill wolves that threaten their livestock.
According to Michael Garrity, on LA Times, an article called “Seeking to Block Wolf Hunt”, about 37,000 people now have wolf-hunting permits. The harvest status on Montana Fish & Wildlife expresses that a new state law allows landowners or their agents to take up to 100 wolves a year that potentially threaten livestock. Still, reducing the number of wolves shouldn't be our solution to this problem. There will be greater problems in our environment if wolves aren't federally protected. We must consider alternative methods in which are in an nonlethal matter to protect both livestock and wolves. For example, in order to protect wolves, our environment, and ranchers, the government should obligate secure gates to keep wolves away from livestock. If wolves aren't protected as well, it will affect our environment. Scientists made shocking discoveries on the removal of wolves in Yellowstone National Park. With a higher elk population, the elk ate up all the young willow tress until there were none. The reintroduction of wolves to the park changed the behavior of deer in which the deer avoided certain areas of the park, the number of beavers increased, and wolves also changed the behavior of the rivers. The rivers changed in response to the wolves, regenerating the entire forest. Wolves transform the ecosystem. If the absence of wolves made a devastating difference on this park itself, imagine what it would be like if these beautiful animals became extinct due to inhumane actions?