End the Slaughter of Our Precious Wolves
- by: Diana Langie
- recipient: USFWS Director Daniel Ashe
Please sign this petition to the Federal Government demanding legal protection for wolves.
The hunting of Gray Wolves cannot be allowed to continue or else the species will once again be highly endangered and at risk for extinction. Ranchers should not kill wolves. Wolves are not a threat to humans and rarely harm livestock. Wolves have been demonized for centuries and ranchers exploit the opportunity to shoot and/or trap wolves (an act of animal cruelty) using the excuse that livestock need to be protected. The impact of wolves on livestock is, in reality, minimal. There are effective, humane ways to deter wolves from one's property. Recreational wolf hunting must be banned. As large, intelligent, social, top-level mammalian predators, wolves play a vital role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Protect U.S. wolves and their habitats under federal law.
Wolves are being trapped and hunted across the United States, including protected public lands such as Yellowstone National Park. It is illegal to hunt any animal on National Park lands, yet wolf-killing hunters have invaded even our most precious wildlife sanctuaries. An animal that has been killed by a hunter is legally the property of the land owner. Killing wolves on protected lands is not only lawless, cruel poaching, it is theft, as the wolves belong to all Americans. The State of Idaho intends to hold wolf-killing competitions for hunters during winter when wolves are most vulnerable. The State of Idaho's wolf-hunting policies actually encourage the total elimination of the species for the sole purpose of allowing state residents to kill more native species. During the past three years, the State of Idaho has almost completely exterminated its native wolf population, going as far as using millions of taxpayer dollars to hire professional hunters to wipe out wolves. Wolves are being shot by hunters in helicopters and tortured with trapping devices. The State of Montana allows residents to kill any wolf seen for any reason. The State of Wyoming is issuing more and more wolf hunting permits even though the species is very much in danger. The first wolf to appear in Iowa for 89 years- a signal of hope for the species- was immediately killed. In some states, pups have been killed by poisonous gas released into their dens by hunters. Wolves are being massacred across the United States with no regard to environmental, biological, or sociological impacts. This must be put to an end.
Wolves have been exterminated in areas around the globe with grievous consequences. In the past decade, the United States was actually seeing a recovery of its native wolf population; this was a great victory for the nation. Unfortunately, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service exercised poor judgment in removing federal protections of wolves. The resulting and ongoing wolf-killing spree in the U.S. has once again endangered this beautiful and necessary species. Now is our second chance- an extremely rare opportunity to manage an endangered species responsibly to prevent its extinction. We must act quickly and demand the protection of wolves in the United States before it is too late.
A Message to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Daniel Ashe:
Americans demand that wolves, species canis lupus, be designated a protected species throughout the entire United States. In the time since the Gray Wolf was removed from the Endangered Species List by the USFWS, wolves have been slaughtered indiscriminately by hunters, even in National Parks. Wolves do not pose a threat to humans, though ranchers have demonized them, claiming that wolves threaten livestock. The impact of wolves on lifestock is actually quite minimal and does not merit tolerance of wolf-killing. Wolves are being exterminated for sport with virtually no regulation in many Western and Rocky Mountain states. It is your job to conserve nature in America, and therefore it is your responsibility to respond to America's outrage at wolf-killing and to ensure wolves are thoroughly protected by federal law post haste.
Thank you for your action
Americans Defending American Wolves
If we can get thousands of signatures quickly enough, the issue will be addressed by the presidential administration.
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