Please Don't Let our Wolves be Killed

The wolf population in this country is dangerously low; if the delisting from endangered species protections isn't reversed, they'll soon be extinct in the 48 lower states.  We have hope for wolves, in a country that used to be home to so many, only because of heroic efforts to restore their populations, with wolves from Canada. 
Secretary Salazar has betrayed the American people, and our beloved wolves, for no reason other than the political investment of special interests.  We desperately need Presidential intervention on their, and our, behalf.   
Dear Mr. President,

We%u2019re writing because of profound concern for wolves in the Northern Rockies.  Their population is already tenuous, and the very premature removal of Federal Endangered Species Act protections presents a serious threat to their survival; the delisting allows 70% of the region%u2019s wolves to be slaughtered, and thereby reduce the region%u2019s wolf population to far less than a sustainable number.  If this decision is allowed to stand, wolves remaining in the Northern Rockies will suffer genetic damage, followed by extinction.  There are very few wolves remaining in our country, and we%u2019re extremely fortunate in the historic reintroduction of wolves from Canada, in 1995; most people would believe this requires Endangered Species Act protections, and our failure to apply them would be disastrous, for a species so exceptionally beloved by the American people.

As we%u2019ve been blessed by such a promising start to restoring wolf populations, rational, scientifically sound protections could allow our wolf populations to become sustainable, and legitimately eliminate the need for Endangered Species Protections.  It%u2019s devastating that our wolves would be betrayed for political gain, to brutal mass slaughter, as Secretary Salazar has done.  As the delisting occurred in the face of overwhelming public opposition, it insults the American people, as well as violating our most cherished values.

The delisting claims to be for the purpose of harvesting predators; this is a defiance of any scientifically supported position, and transparently false.  The states in which the wolves reside, have planned hunts allowing decimation as fully as the aggressive delisting plan, including allowing wolf killing without a  hunting license.  These states%u2019 policies are the primary reason for the Fish and Game Service%u2019s strenuous opposition to state based wolf management.  The wolves%u2019 primary opponents are sport hunting organizations, and state wildlife agencies are funded mostly by hunting fees and related revenue.  Wolves have lived beneficially with the same species as they are now, in far greater numbers, and are an invaluable part of good ecology, while most hunters are ecologically illiterate.  Only 1/10th  of a percentage point of livestock loss is related to wolf encounters, and extensive programs to support ranchers%u2019 relations with wolves are in place.  Of course wolves have rarely killed humans throughout our nation%u2019s history, and no healthy wolf ever has. 

We%u2019re sure you%u2019re aware of the litigation against this unfortunate decision, by an alliance of widely respected non-profit organizations.  This litigation has had to be done before, and is supported primarily by funding from private citizens, while its opposition is funded by powerful and wealthy special interests.  The American people, and our beloved wolves, are only represented because of our own extraordinary efforts, in our legal system; it%u2019s disappointing that we aren%u2019t represented at all by Secretary Salazar, who appears to have violated your administration%u2019s promise to consult conservationists, scientists, and other stakeholders on key issues, before making decisions.

Please give this crucial concern your best consideration, and respond positively, in support of truly American values, as you have in so many other ways.

The Undersigned
      

 
 
       

 
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