Wolf Pages

Monday, February 11, 2013

: Using dogs to hunt wolves is equivalent to dog fighting

February 10, 2013

Reader's view:

Wisconsin’s wolf hunt is over. It ended two full months early due to the “success” of reaching quotas in six zones. Total dead wolves, per the Department of Natural Resources: 238, including 117 killed in the hunt, 75 killed for depredation problems, 22 killed in collisions with motor vehicles, 19 illegally killed and five found dead of unknown reasons. These numbers do not reflect the many other illegal kills, not detected. And hey, guess what? Some wolves actually die of natural causes.


Wisconsin’s wolf hunt is over. It ended two full months early due to the “success” of reaching quotas in six zones. Total dead wolves, per the Department of Natural Resources: 238, including 117 killed in the hunt, 75 killed for depredation problems, 22 killed in collisions with motor vehicles, 19 illegally killed and five found dead of unknown reasons. These numbers do not reflect the many other illegal kills, not detected. And hey, guess what? Some wolves actually die of natural causes.

I was against the hunt. I found it appalling that Judge Peter Anderson of Dane County lifted the injunction that banned dogs from the hunt. It was not his fault; he couldn’t stop it, as it is law. Act 169 includes the hunting and chasing down of wolves with dogs. Wolves cannot climb trees like bears. The outcome will be brutal and deadly conflict between dogs and wolves. The hunters will be paid up to $2,500 for each dog injured or killed by the wolf it is pursuing. Dogs are not a piece of hunting equipment. Their lives matter.

The DNR warns hunters to keep dogs out of wolf territory but now seems to support training dogs to hunt wolves. Hound hunters’ answer: They use fighting breeds of dogs. Would this have been an acceptable answer from Michael Vick? Training captive animals and pitting packs of dogs against wolves is dog fighting in my mind and should be illegal.

The DNR now has authority to “manage” wolves since their delisting as an endangered species. The DNR sells hunting licenses for wolves and deer. Fewer wolves equals more deer equals more hunting tags equals more money for the DNR. This is a conflict of interest!

The DNR will be writing the rules regarding dogs. We must stop this insanity.

Alice Miller
Maple

source: Duluth News Tribune

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