The Wild West Targets Wolves Again

03 August 2012, 2:59 PM

Doug Honnold

 

Wyoming wants gray wolves off the endangered species list

The anti-wolf crowd in Wyoming has this irrational fear of wolves, and no amount of evidence can calm them. These are the folks who want to turn back the clock to the Wild West days where they could kill every wolf they see—and, unfortunately, the Interior Department is going to let them do just that in most of the state.

It’s hard to believe that, in this day and age, recklessly killing wolf pups would be encouraged by a state government, but that is what we are facing. The state of Wyoming is openly discussing taking dogs from a dog pound to the backcountry, staking them dead or alive until wolves arrive, and then killing the wolves on sight. The sad part is that this would be perfectly legal in most of the state.
After we wiped wolves out in the western United States, they were listed as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. Wolves were the missing link in Yellowstone. Without wolves, elk became too abundant and overgrazed grasses and shrubs. With wolves back, everything from ground squirrels to songbirds have been positively affected and we now have a fully functioning ecosystem.

Earthjustice has been fighting so that wolves will survive and prosper, and so that Yellowstone and other special places will have wolves on the ground for centuries to come. (See how you can help.) We want to ensure that our grandchildren and people from around the world can come to Yellowstone and see nature as it existed for centuries.

Others care about the gray wolf as well. Headline News’ Jane Velez-Mitchell and I spoke about it on national television today and we hope to educate people throughout the country about the barbaric tactics being considered.

Once you hear the call of a wolf in the wild, you are hooked. They remind us what wilderness is all about; they teach us about the natural world. We want future generations to be able to hear a wolf howl in the wild, and learn the importance of protecting these special creatures.

Take action today and send a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, urging the Interior Department to save Wyoming’s remaining wolves and oppose any plan that allows politics to decide the fate of an imperiled species.

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