Save Idaho's Wolves From Aerial Gunning
In Idaho, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is getting ready to gun down wolves from the air. The shooting could start as soon as the next big storm clears. Speak up now to stop it.
Hunting and trapping in Idaho has already killed 283 wolves since a congressional rider took the animals off the endangered species list last spring.
Now Idaho plans to kill another 50 or more. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has determined that predation by wolves has played a role in elk losses, but the steepest declines in the elk population began after large fires in the 1980s destroyed their habitat -- before wolves had reached substantial numbers in the state.
The gunning will likely start after the next storm, when snow will slow the wolves' escape and make them highly visible targets after they're located by their radio collars. Please speak up now to stop this tragic and unnecessary slaughter of Idaho's wolves.
Dear Secretary Vilsack,
Your Department of Agriculture, in a misguided attempt to boost elk numbers, is poised to shoot 50 or more gray wolves in the vast, forested wilderness of northern Idaho by air.
I am alarmed that the Department of Agriculture would spend taxpayer money to destroy wolves that help maintain natural balance on public lands.
I urge you to call off Wildlife Services' plan to kill wolves in Idaho's Lolo Zone.
Thank you for your consideration.
